In less than two years at the helm of France’s foreign intelligence service, Nicolas Lerner has been making waves across West Africa. Tasked with re-energizing a service weakened by years of diminished influence in the region, the 45-year-old director has turned his gaze toward new partnerships, betting on Lomé, Abidjan, and Rabat as strategic gateways.
France’s role in Africa has been under intense scrutiny in recent years, with anti-French sentiment rising across the Sahel and a string of military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger that disrupted Paris’s traditional alliances. Against this backdrop, Lerner, formerly head of France’s domestic intelligence agency (DGSI), is seeking to restore credibility and build fresh relationships in a region where France can no longer rely on its old networks.
Togo, a Discreet but Strategic Partner One of Lerner’s most reliable allies has emerged in Togo’s capital, Lomé. Long seen as a discreet mediator in regional affairs, Togo has positioned itself as a stable partner amid turmoil in neighboring countries. French intelligence sources highlight President Faure Gnassingbé’s willingness to maintain dialogue with Western partners while also keeping channels open with Moscow, Ankara, and Beijing.
Lerner’s frequent visits to Lomé reflect a strategic calculation: while Paris struggles in Bamako and Niamey, Togo provides both geographical access to the Gulf of Guinea and a diplomatic bridge to leaders otherwise wary of French influence.
Morocco A Tried and Tested Ally If Lomé represents a new bet, Rabat remains a trusted foundation for French intelligence. Morocco has long been one of France’s closest security partners on the continent, providing intelligence on counter-terrorism and extremist movements stretching from the Sahel to the Sahara. Lerner has nurtured this relationship, seeing it as vital to France’s repositioning in West Africa.
Diplomatic observers note that Rabat, with its extensive intelligence networks in the region, often acts as an early warning system for both France and European allies. The partnership has strengthened since the collapse of French ties in Mali and Burkina Faso, offering Lerner a degree of continuity in an otherwise shifting landscape.
Abidjan A Frontline Post Côte d’Ivoire remains the centerpiece of French presence in West Africa. Abidjan hosts one of France’s largest military bases on the continent and serves as an operational hub for regional security operations. For Lerner, deepening intelligence cooperation with President Alassane Ouattara’s government is essential not only to monitor jihadist threats expanding southward from the Sahel but also to secure French economic and diplomatic interests in the Gulf of Guinea.
Officials in Abidjan, while cautious of being drawn into regional disputes, view the renewed French engagement as a necessary safeguard at a time when instability in Burkina Faso and Mali continues to spill across borders.
Adapting to a Changing Region Lerner’s approach signals a broader shift in French strategy. No longer able to dictate terms as it once did, Paris is recalibrating toward selective partnerships and intelligence sharing rather than heavy military presence. With the withdrawal of French troops from Mali and Niger, intelligence gathering has become the frontline of engagement, and Lerner’s service is tasked with providing early warning of emerging threats.
Analysts caution, however, that rebuilding influence will not be easy. Popular resentment of France remains strong in much of the Sahel, and alternative powers — Russia’s Wagner Group, Turkey, and China — are already filling vacuums left by Paris. In this contested space, Lerner’s ability to weave discreet but durable alliances could determine whether France maintains any significant role in West Africa’s security architecture.
For now, from Lomé to Abidjan, the French intelligence chief is betting that dialogue, discretion, and carefully chosen partners will breathe new life into a service that desperately needs to adapt to Africa’s new realities.
