What are the US's intentions in Africa?
Monday, August 05, 2019
Rwandan President Paul Kgame and Donald Trump of the US
"For too long when investors have knocked on the door, and the Africans opened the door, the only person standing there was the Chinese," Tibor Nagy, the US assistant secretary of state for African Affairs recently told the BBC.
China's trade with the continent has eclipsed America's in the past decade, and in 2018 was more than three times larger.
Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...