* Macron wants more focus on economic development, job creation
* But Islamist militants, migrants keep security at fore of policy
* French president attending AU-EU summit Nov 29-30
By Richard Lough
PARIS, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Barely six months into office, President Emmanuel Macron is already preparing for his third visit to sub-Saharan Africa. Yet while the energetic young leader is eager to reshape France's relationship with the continent, old problems die hard.
His Nov. 28-30 trip to Burkina Faso, Ghana and Ivory Coast is aimed at boosting cooperation on education, the digital economy and the environment. The visit will be capped by an EU-Africa summit in Abidjan, when migration will top the agenda.
"Africa is not just the continent of migration and crises. It's a continent of the future," the 39-year-old president told French ambassadors in August.
But even then, French forces were being sucked deeper into a years-long battle to quell Islamist militancy in Mali. Last month, a raid by French special forces in the Malian desert illustrated how deep that quagmire is becoming.
French troops stormed an Islamist training camp, killing 15 suspected militants. French officials said the operation was based on intelligence the camp housed Malians who had joined the Islamists. Mali said government soldiers held hostage by the Ansar al-Dine group were among the dead.
As recriminations flew, a defence official spoke of "a real trust problem". Laurent Bigot, a former under-secretary in the French foreign ministry, was blunt: "Mali is a disaster," he said. "We're repeating mistakes made in Iraq and Afghanistan."
That assessment underlines just how much work Macron faces if he is to strengthen security and migration policy without getting bogged down in costly military ventures. More than 7,000 French troops are already deployed across Africa.
CHANGE OF TACK
Macron will make his first stop in Ougadougou, Burkina Faso, where he will set out his vision for Franco-African relations in his favoured style - a speech.
Language and tone are critical. French presidents usually make early visits to Africa, but some have misjudged. Nicolas Sarkozy declared "the tragedy of Africa is that the African has not fully entered into history". The comment has haunted him.
A presidency official said Macron would emphasize education and investing in youth across the continent, themes he has touched on in his first six months in power.
In Ghana, a former British colony where France has ramped up investment, including in oil, telecoms and technology, Macron is to promote the digital economy and a broadening of French education initiatives.