The G8 meets the dragon in Africa

| Tuesday July 8, 2008 00:00

Africa has become a strategic energy supplier to large economies. The G8 has been synonymous with Tony Blair's sentiments of characterizing Africa as 'the scar on the conscience of the World.'

The G8's traditional approach to Africa has always been backed up by a squad of celebrities and Western NGOs who thrive on 'popularizing' poverty, disease, famine and hopelessness on the continent.

In 2005, just when everyone's attention had been directed towards the 'misery' and 'darkness' of the continent through NGO campaigns, Western celebrity bands and Tony Blair's Commission for Africa project; China struck! 

The entry of China with its 'Value Free' aid diplomacy in Africa flung the G8 school of thought of course after decades of pegging relations with Africa on democracy, governance and human rights. Suddenly questions such as, 'Why is Africa attracting global interest?' emerged. Chinese policy of 'no conditions' challenged the G8 certitude and ever since, Africans are witnessing a rat race-a renewed scramble as each power competes to dole out money and gain access to the continent's strategic energy reserves. 

Traditionally, Africa has been used to provide raw materials to the developed world. Africa involuntarily provided human labor though the infamous slave trade that saw between 10  to 28 million Africans shipped to the Americas and Middle East in the early 1450 to 1850 to power the then cotton and sugar industries.

Minerals and wildlife have attracted traders for centuries to the African coast. Africa's gold powered Vasco da Gama's voyage to Calcutta. Unless Africans re-strategize, the talk of Africa becoming a new frontier for development is a sham; Africa is still very much the same continent that exports raw materials to others and receives finished products from both the re-emerging and developed nations.

The overall common ground shared among the West, China and India's approach to Africa has been that of use of aid diplomacy.

Through the G8 (Group of eight leading industrialized powers), they pledged to be giving Africa $60 billion annually to fight HIV-AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other killer diseases in Africa.

China joined the race by hosting a record 47 African heads of state and pledged aid amounting to $20 billion together with $5 billion dollars for loans and credits. India followed suit and also hosted a summit with Africans and pledged US$500 million, Japan hosted an African summit and pledged $1.9 billion. At this rate, Africans are likely to loose focus on the motivation behind all the 'donations.'

As India (the Tiger), China (Dragon) join Westerners in wooing Africa (the Ostrich with head buried in the sand) to gain access to oil and other minerals; Africans can finally put things in perspective.

Africa's interests are immaterial to donors; from receiving aid for cold war purposes, for purposes of curtailing African migration to Europe, to aid for strategic access to energy for security.

The traditional aid diplomacy has failed to pull the 'Ostrich's head' (Africa) out of the sand! Africa's head is deep in the sand, whilst its feet stand on untapped agricultural potential, on Platinum 89% of World reserves; Diamonds 60%; Cobalt 53%, Uranium 15% and an estimated 8% of World's known oil reserves. While the rest of the World is preparing the future for their grand children, Africa is busy churning out '... a vast running sore-a billion people stuck in desperate conditions alongside unprecedented prosperity.'

Africa must take advantage of the competition for its resources between the G8, China, India, Brazil, and Malaysia among others to push for business deals that will earn them revenue as opposed to aid.

Whether individual African states have minerals and or energy reserves that does not limit the bargaining power; African states ought to strategize either as conduit states, manpower provision states, hospitality provision states to bargain for deals that can benefit their people.

Individual cases of failed states, conflict areas, and famine ravaged regions ought to be treated as is, as opposed to using them to generalize the image of Africa. By isolating negativity, it will be easier to reflect and re-examine causes and offer solutions; it is unfair to generalize on activities of 980 million people in 54 countries!

The G8 team is by now aware that Africans no longer hold their breath to count the number of dollars to be dropped on their lap. For either the amount pledged never gets out of the G8 wallet, and even the little that does simply makes Africans to perceive poverty on a continent that is naturally endowed with wealth.

The G8 would do better to market opportunities in Africa to attract business solutions on the continent.

The main responsibility to get Africa out of the quandary is with the African individuals; they must pull their heads from the sand, stop focusing on their immediate offspring, and think a little further about the future of the grand children of their children.  

James Shikwati
Director Inter Region Economic Network
and CEO The African Executive