Africa: development or neo-colonization?
Recently, several major events related to the development of the “black continent” took place. At the end of May, a meeting was held in Moscow with the heads of diplomatic missions of African states. May 31 in Marrakesh launched the annual summit of the African Development Bank. 16 June in Gabon completed the second New York Forum on African Development. The attention of the whole world today is riveted on the economic development of this continent.How is the channel "Euronews", in Marrakesh, representatives of business circles came to the annual summit of the African Development Bank. The most discussed topic of the forum was high economic growth on the continent. Africa justified the optimistic forecasts of experts: in 2012, economic growth was expressed as a record number in 6,6 percent.
At the summit, however, African problem areas were noted. The Vice-President of the African Development Bank, Stuli Ncube, said: “Obviously, economic growth was not universal. Most people are left below the poverty line. Growth quality needs to be improved. That is why at this summit emphasis was placed on structural transformations. It is they who, along with economic growth, should improve people's lives. ”
Africa’s trouble is that the continent’s high economic growth is ensured by: a) raw material exports; b) export of unprocessed agricultural products; c) the financial assets obtained are not invested in the development of the countries of the continent.
Lamido Sanusi, President of the Central Bank of Nigeria, notes that it is necessary to bring the African economy onto the road of development: “I see no reason for Nigeria to import plastic from China. The country itself extracts oil and is able to create a petrochemical industry. Similarly, there is no reason to import rice from Thailand, and tomato paste from China and Europe. We need long-term economic projects that will become self-sufficient. The challenge is to produce in Africa what you can produce here and import only the goods that you have to import. ”
The participants of the summit of the African Development Bank expressed a common opinion: the time for Africa has come.
However, experts warn of the existing shortage of qualified personnel, notes “Euronews”. Hence, one of the urgent tasks of African countries is the creation of a training system. It is planned that by 2050, the 21% of the workforce will be concentrated on the continent.
The aforementioned Lamido Sanusi had previously called on African countries to reconsider the existing “romantic” attitude towards China. His words were cited by Alexander Bondarenko ("But"), told about the African strategy of the Middle Kingdom.
In China, energy consumption is increasing: since 2001, it grows by about 13% per year. Giant energy demand in China is associated with steel production. China accounts for over a third of global steel production. In 2010, the PRC needed 8,36 million barrels of oil per day. China pushed the US into second place and is the main importer of raw materials on the planet. The PRC imports about a quarter of the world's fossil and fuel. And the most attractive commodity market is Africa. In addition, the African continent in the future - a huge market.
Today, one of the techniques of Chinese market expansion is the use of the thesis of community historical the fate of China and Africa. The emphasis here is on the general former dependence on the Western powers during the period of the colonial past. With such an argument, the PRC seems to show a sense of solidarity with the Africans.
It is noted that the Celestial Empire pursues a smart economic policy in relation to its African "colonies". In 2009, the PRC reset the import duty on 95% of goods from the poorest countries of the “black continent”. In exchange, the Chinese get access to the bowels.
Alexander Bondarenko cites material from the Financial Times, written by Lamido Sanusi: “China buys raw materials from us and sells goods to us. But this is precisely the essence of colonialism, ”he writes. - The epoch of the Non-Aligned Movement, which united us after the break with the metropolises, is over. China has ceased to be the same developing country - now it is the second economy of the world, capable of the same forms of economic exploitation as the West. His economic policy contributes significantly to the deindustrialization and underdevelopment of the continent. ”
According to the same "Financial Times", from 2000 to 2012. African countries trade with China grew 20 times and reached 200 billion dollars. However, the share of industrial production in the continent's GDP fell from 12,8% to 10,5%.
The author also emphasizes that the PRC is building infrastructure on the continent solely through its own specialists. Sanusi sees a way out in investment in education and in building infrastructure with his own, that is, African forces.
Said Gafurov, scientific director of the Institute of Applied Oriental and African Studies, whom Andrei Ivanov spoke with"Free press"). He noted that the Europeans "outright" lose economic competition to the Chinese and Indians, as well as to national companies in South Africa. This is where Euro-neo-colonialism comes from, examples of which are cases in Mali, Côte d'Ivoire and Libya.
“China plays a very positive role. The Chinese have opened their Confucius Institutes in dozens of countries. Today, the Negroes are learning Chinese at home, and soon they will go free to get a higher education in the PRC. And how can we not miss this next generation.
Europe has chosen a different path. It is trying to push aside us, and the Chinese, and Indians, and independent African national leaders with military force. ”
Europe has chosen a different path. It is trying to push aside us, and the Chinese, and Indians, and independent African national leaders with military force. ”
A little more than a week ago, the second New York Forum on African Development completed its work in Libreville. Seven hundred politicians and businessmen participated in the conference. The former adviser to the two US presidents, Clinton and Obama, Larry Summers, was also present there. He said that the development of Africa is the most promising process of the 21st century.
Correspondent "Euronews" Francois Chignac conveyed: “While Europe is trying to break the deadlock, ironically, here in Africa, the green light is on for economic development and in some countries economic growth is observed. Problems, of course, remain. There is poverty, a population explosion continues, problems have health, safety, good governance, but Africans do not turn away from these problems, on the contrary. They exchange ideas, initiate and develop different programs. That was what was discussed during the three-day New York Africa Forum in the capital of Gabon, Libreville. ”
It clarifies that African development focuses on combating violence, corruption and capital flight abroad. Today, illicit cash flows amount to 1,3 billion dollars; This amount is four times higher than the external debt of the whole continent! Africa is a “mosaic” of 54 countries; there live one and a half thousand ethnic groups. At the same time, the continent of Africa needs geostrategic innovations. They will allow Africans to confidently identify themselves in the international arena.
“The economy of Nigeria is growing at an unprecedented pace,” says the founder and head of the Paramount Group, Ivor Ishikovich. - But no single country can not break away from all the others. African countries must come together and make their economic takeoff become a reality. For a long time, I have been calling for cooperation among the leading economies of Africa. I compared this with the example of cooperation of the BRICS group of countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). Therefore, it was about creating some African BRICS. This would bring these economies together and create a climate that would be attractive to outside investors. ”
Andrey Ivanov ("Free press") in the article “New redistribution of Africa” cites the statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, made by him on May 30 at a meeting with the heads of diplomatic missions of African states in Moscow. He said that Russia from all the G8 countries wrote off the black continent most of all debts.
According to experts, Russia forgave Africa more than 20 billion dollars. The bulk of the debt remained from the Soviet era. Today, the Russian Federation is actively involved in various humanitarian programs on the “black continent”.
Said Gafurov believes that debt relief to Africa can be beneficial. The fact of cancellation itself helps to establish trusting relationships with debtor countries. This opens up opportunities for new contracts. Today, Russia can beat the West in competition on the continent.
“For example, in Guinea there are three projects for the extraction of bauxite. Two of them are controlled by Russian Aluminum, while the third is controlled by a Western company. The western firm simply extracts raw materials and exports, and our RUSAL processes it on site. That is, our company develops the national industry of Guinea, trains national personnel there. Under such conditions, any normal sane government will support our entrepreneurs. Just because we behave more honestly, we give more to the economy: a ton of bauxite costs 25 dollars, and a ton of recycled costs 150. But they honestly do not want to compete with us. In the same Guinea staged a coup and began to put pressure on RUSAL strikes and legal processes. We see direct implementation of EU directives to protect their companies by any means. ”
This last, we add, is a typical case of the manifestation of a new European colonialism.
The expert further notes that in some African countries, those who studied once in the USSR are at the helm, and Russia should “use this kind of Russophilia”.
Leonid Ivashov, President of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, outlined his Russian-African vision of the journalist of the Free Press and
“After the Second World War, we had a good presence in Africa, actively supported the anti-colonial movement. And we came there not for wealth, but to help build young states. We trained thousands and thousands of engineers, managers, military. For reimbursement of expenses, we took there bananas, rare earth metals, supplied military equipment, which, frankly, there was nowhere to go after the war. In addition, we had airfields, ports for our ships. It was a major geopolitics. Today, India and China come to this continent. We are returning. ”
If China goes to the "black continent" for resources, comrade Ivashov notes, then Russia needs them to a lesser extent. But Russia needs political support from African countries. Today at the UN almost all of Africa votes for American documents. And then, it should be remembered, said Ivashov, that the world power should be present on all continents. Russia needs to have a military and cultural presence in Africa. Here it is, the vision of General Ivashov:
“The world will look like a kind of geopolitical matryoshka: Russia is renewing and gathering other countries around itself. First there will be a Eurasian Union, then we will develop the Shanghai Cooperation Organization with further development into a powerful Eurasian alliance with the participation of Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Mongolia, Afghanistan. From this bridgehead you can go to other continents. BRICS is already a new format of the future world order. ”
According to the general, Russia on the “black continent” is in an advantageous position simply because Russian culture, education and language are simpler than Chinese. Affects and Soviet experience.
Moreover, the West, as everyone already understands, only covers its aggressive plans with the words about “democracy” (imposed by rockets and bombs).
But bad luck: Russia does not have big projects in Africa, comrade Ivashov notes.
As for the approach, Western companies are “robbing the continent”, and Russia can come with “sensible projects”. Russian firms will be able to build factories there and train local personnel. This will be immediately appreciated, Ivashov believes.
Thus, Africa appears to analysts and journalists to be the newest “redivision of the world”, where economic interests have grown to geopolitical and where competition is about to become similar to the neo-colonial competition of the leading world powers. If you look at the "black continent" as the arena of struggle between the West and the East, then Russia, with its soft foreign policy and taking into account mutual benefits, unlike the exploitative expansion of China and the predatory aspirations of Europe and the USA, could stave for itself a spot on the continent, development of which Larry Summers described as the most promising process of the XXI century. In the end, the debts are written off, the location is received - and it is impossible not to use it. The case for projects.
Observed and commented on Oleg Chuvakin
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- especially for topwar.ru
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