Drawing on the author’s background as a journalist for Le Monde, Libération, and RFI, The Scramble for Europe is marked by the same optimism about African development as a more recent article that concludes: “Far from encouraging it, one of the solutions to illicit migration flows lies in the implementation by [African] States of employment policies in favor of young people. Creating these opportunities will allow the emergence of young talent motivated by innovation and structural transformation in Africa.” Smith’s book first appeared in English in 2019, a year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, when irregular migration from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe was in decline due to increased border surveillance and lack of jobs needed to pay the cost of passage. It is optimistic in its statement of confidence that increased economic opportunity in sub-Saharan Africa will not fuel more migration. Rather than giving young people the means to leave the continent, increased economic opportunity will incite them to stay.