For three years now, people have been floating around the rather astonishing idea that, by the middle of this century, there may be 500, 600 or even 700 million French speakers as a result of Africa. I don't agree. The growth of the world's French‑speaking population won't take place in America or Europe, of course. The European Union currently operates in English 98% of the time. French‑language instruction in Europe has fallen by 10% in the past two years.
Africa will drive significant growth in the number of French speakers, but only if the continent provides schools that teach in French. However, for French schools to exist, they must be created and funded. Canada, France, Belgium and Mauritius—in other words, francophone countries with real resources—must look at how they are and aren't supporting education in French‑speaking Africa.
Let's not forget the growth of African languages. Africans have languages that can be spoken by up to 100 million people. These languages are found on the Internet and in translation engines. The African Development Bank now releases its reports in the African languages and then translates them into French and English, for example. My point is that African languages are gaining ground.
The number of French speakers could indeed grow significantly. Will there be another 100 million, or 150 million? It's hard to say. However, to achieve this growth, children must have the opportunity to attend schools where the French language is taught. That's the bottom line. However, I find that the current efforts are completely inadequate.
If I may, I would like to come back to a very important question about investment—