Who is Undermining Africa’s Development: Europeans or Africans? Anglophone or Francophone Africa?

African development has long been a contentious issue, with debates on whether the continent is underdeveloped or developing. The United Nations initially categorized Africa as a single region, but African leaders in 1991 rejected this classification by establishing the African Economic Community with five distinct regions: West Africa, North Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa.

This division aimed to foster continental unity and integration, but linguistic differences, such as Anglophone and Francophone Africa, continue to divide the continent.

Morocco, an Arabophone-speaking country, has been particularly vocal in its opposition to the African Union's recognition of Western Sahara, a territory Morocco claims for itself. In 2020, Morocco renamed its major highway linking it to West Africa as the President Donald J. Trump Highway, seeking to strengthen ties with the United States and bolster its claim over Western Sahara. This move undermines Africa's policy of no more colonization and self-determination, particularly for the Sahrawi people.

Morocco's attempts to join international organizations like the European Communities, European Union, and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have been unsuccessful, largely due to its geopolitical location in North Africa. Morocco's membership applications were rejected because Morocco is not considered a European State and does not qualify for ECOWAS membership.

Despite these setbacks, Morocco returned to its seat in the African Union in 2017 and applied to join ECOWAS, generating controversy and opposition, especially from Nigeria, which saw the move as a challenge to its regional influence.