Les entreprises françaises et le développement en Afrique

Whether it be through support for local development, an involvement in fair trade, or a focus on the ?bottom of the pyramid?, the practices of private companies are evolving. For the past fifteen years, the elaboration of codes of conduct, the constitution of public-private partnerships, or the growing number of concrete experiments in terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR) have been presented as evidence of companies' commitment to sustainable development. Companies have actively been playing their part as actors in the fight against poverty and for environmental protection, directly or through ad hoc foundations, thus greatly increasing the range of financial partners beyond the usual public aid. Yet, can private profit and the common good truly be reconciled? Are companies merely responding to pressures from civil society and to the progress of international law, or does their behavior testify to a genuine mutation of globalised capitalism? The case of French companies in sub-Saharan Africa sheds light on the issue.