China, Africa continue to jointly promote common progress

March 22, 2022 Liu Yuxi World Stage 



This year marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of the African Union (AU). Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping extended his warm congratulations to African countries and people in a congratulatory message to the AU Summit, which mirrored the unbreakable and everlasting friendship between China and Africa.

The AU, as a successor of the Organization of African Unity founded in 1963, officially replaced the latter in July 2002 when it held its first summit, and has become the most representative and authoritative intergovernmental organization in Africa.


Over the past 20 years, the AU has stayed committed to seeking strength through unity, actively explored a development path suited to Africa, facilitated important progress in regional integration and coordinated a concerted response from African countries to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Such efforts have proven effective in maintaining peace, stability and development in Africa, and have won Africa growing influence and stature in the world
China and the AU are important partners in promoting high-level China-Africa community with a shared future and safeguarding international equity and justice.


China is the world’s largest developing country, and Africa is the continent with the largest number of developing countries. Shared past experiences and similar aims and goals have brought China and Africa close together.

Since the founding of the AU, China-AU relations have been constantly developing. The two sides have maintained frequent high-level mutual visits. In 2008, they established a strategic dialogue mechanism, and their political mutual trust has been continuously deepened.

he China-aided AU headquarters’ building, which was completed in 2012, became a new monument of China-Africa cooperation. In 2015 and 2018, the Chinese Mission to the AU and the AU Representative Office in Beijing were respectively launched, further consolidating their bilateral relationship.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and the AU have helped each other and fought side by side to defeat the pandemics.

In February 2020, the AU issued a communiqué in support of China’s anti-pandemic efforts, being the first international organization to offer China such support.

China has provided more than 100 batches of medical supplies to African countries and the AU. The China-aided headquarters of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention commenced its phase-1 project ahead of schedule and was topped-out at the end of the last year.

China and the AU signed a memorandum of understanding for the establishment of a coordination mechanism for Belt and Road cooperation. It marked that the China-Africa joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative has entered a new phase of implementation, and has injected new impetus into China-Africa win-win cooperation and common development.

At the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in November 2021, President Xi announced ‘nine programs’ for future cooperation with Africa, including a donation of another 1 billion doses of vaccines to Africa aiming to help Africa strengthen capacity building in public health.

With profound changes and a pandemic unseen in a century, the global governance system is undergoing unprecedented adjustments. To respond to new challenges brought about by COVID-19, President Xi put forward the Global Development Initiative (GDI), and the initiative has been well received by African countries.

China welcomes the AU and African countries to join the initiative, and is willing to further synergize the GDI with the AU Agenda 2063. The GDI will become another powerful booster to promote China-Africa cooperation and play a positive role in Africa’s economic recovery and sustainable development.

Both history and reality prove that the close relationship between China and Africa is not forged within a day, nor was it bestowed by others. Instead, their relationship was a hard-won result of the two sides’ long-term mutual assistance offered through thick and thin.

The majestic strength of the 2.7 billion people in China and Africa is unstoppable. China-Africa cooperation will continue to enhance the welfare of the Chinese and African peoples, and create a bright future featuring common development and prosperity.

How the US lost Africa to China over new disease control centre in Addis Ababa

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Addis Ababa was once a US-China collaboration project

Loss of US CDC-inspired facility to Chinese influence a tragic error and own goal, says analyst in Washington


Jevans Nyabiage
Published: 13 Aug, 2022

An artist’s impression of the new Africa CDC headquarters south of Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia. Photo: Xinhua

Just south of Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the US$80 million new African disease control headquarters, built and funded by China, is nearing completion amid disquiet in Washington.

Hu Changchun, China’s newly appointed head of mission to the African Union, inspected the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention construction site last month. The facility, being built by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), will be completed at the end of the year.

“This flagship project between China and the AU will significantly improve the capacity for disease prevention and control in Africa,” Hu said.

The site covers an area of 90,000 square metres, with a total construction area of nearly 40,000 square metres.

When finished, the Africa CDC building will include an emergency operation centre, a data centre and a laboratory, resource, training and conference centres and briefing rooms, as well as offices and expatriate flats – all to be built, furnished and equipped by the Chinese government.

The second phase would involve the construction of the Africa CDC’s five regional collaborating centres in Egypt, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia.

Wu Peng, director general of the Chinese foreign ministry’s African affairs department, said the Africa CDC headquarters was “a major project of China-Africa cooperation” which would “further enhance Africa’s public health capacities and become a new portrayal of China-Africa solidarity”.

After US retreat, China breaks ground on Africa CDC headquarters project
16 Dec 2020


The Africa CDC is modelled in form and function on the US CDC and the idea emerged from the role the US played in responding to the 2015 West Africa Ebola crisis. But what started as a US-China collaboration project to help African countries fight disease turned into a power rivalry under former US president Donald Trump.

In April 2015, the US and AU signed an agreement to create the Africa CDC, where the US agreed to provide technical expertise and seconded a dozen staff members to lead and support the project. It also agreed to support fellowships at the Africa CDC for 10 African epidemiologists.

In June of that year, during a bilateral meeting, a Chinese health official said the US and China planned to work together to support the AU to build the Africa CDC. And during President Xi’s September 2015 visit to the US, the two nations agreed to cooperate with the AU in the construction of the Africa CDC.

A China-AU deal was signed in 2016, where the Chinese side agreed to provide public health expertise.

But the US-China deal was scuttled when the US government moved to cut foreign aid.

As their rivalry escalated during the Trump era, the collaboration between the two superpowers collapsed. It left room for Beijing to offer to construct the building alone, followed by an announcement in June 2020 by President Xi Jinping that “China will start ahead of schedule the construction of the Africa CDC headquarters this year”.

As they sparred over who should build the Africa CDC headquarters, the US accused China of aiming to spy on “Africa’s genomic data”, the Financial Times quoted a US official as saying in February 2020.

The Chinese foreign ministry called the reports “ridiculous”, with spokeswoman Hua Chunying saying they showed how “some people in the US always make presumptions by their own mindsets,” she said.

David Shinn, professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs in Washington, and former US ambassador to Addis Ababa, said that the US-China partnership on supporting the Africa CDC came when bilateral relations were more cordial, with the US Centres for Disease Control and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation providing most of the assistance.

In 2018, as US-China relations were deteriorating, the AU and China agreed that the Chinese would build the CDC headquarters.

“Washington strongly opposed this decision but appeared to have been outmanoeuvred by China,” Shinn recalled.

Ethiopian and Chinese officials at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Africa CDC headquarters in Addis Ababa in December 2020. Photo: Xinhua

Tim Zajontz, research fellow at the Centre for International and Comparative Politics at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, said the Covid-19 pandemic had made public health another central domain for China to project its soft power.

“It came as no surprise that the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation at last year’s gathering in Dakar pledged to further step up cooperation in the health sector,” Zajontz said.

He said the CDC headquarters is yet another example of Beijing’s targeted support to the AU. “[It] also shows that not only African governments but also regional organisations choose their partners very pragmatically,” said Zajontz, who is also a lecturer in international relations at the University of Freiburg, Germany.

“The geopolitical competition between China and actors like the US and the European Union, which have for a long time funded African regional organisations, has long reached the supranational level.”

US envoy to UN says Africa trip isn’t to catch up with China and Russia
4 Aug 2022


Cameron Hudson, a former US official who is now a senior associate at the CSIS Africa think tank, said: “Even though we tried to win this contract, Washington can’t compete with Chinese infrastructure construction in Africa.”

Hudson said the Africa CDC was seen as an exceptional case because an institution in Washington had already invested a great deal of time, attention, financing and even staffing.

It is also a challenge from a security perspective, because many of the staff are US government employees on loan to the African CDC.

“Having them work in a Chinese-built building, where the Chinese have a history of installing surveillance devices, as they did in the AU headquarters, calls into question whether Washington will be able to continue its close operational relationship with the institution,” Hudson said.

“Washington has been telling its African partners that they don’t have to choose between working with China and working with the US. That our engagement is not a zero-sum competition, but this will test that.”

Lawrence Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University in Washington, pointed to how China has been funding infrastructure in Africa as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.

“It has tried to curry favour in Africa, using health infrastructure projects to push its geostrategic interests in Africa,” Gostin said.

“The US has a deep history of transformative public health engagement in Africa. Having inspired and conceptualised the Africa CDC, it was a tragic error to allow China to build its headquarters and to brag about its cooperation with Africa. For the US, it was an own goal.”

INTER-IMPERIALIST RIVALRIES

Japan ramps up aid to Africa to weaken China's grip on continent

Tokyo has announced an ambitious multibillion-dollar program of economic assistance to Africa, in a bid to counter Beijing's growing economic and political influence.

The Tokyo International Conference on African Development was held in Tunisia this year

Japan is ramping up its aid and economic assistance to African nations, with Tokyo recently promising $30 billion (€30.24 billion) to help develop the continent over the next three years. 

The financial commitment was unveiled at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which was hosted by the Japanese government in Tunisia over two days in late August.

First organized in 1993, TICAD has traditionally been held in Japan but this year moved to the North African country due to concerns about the COVID pandemic.  

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivered the opening speech from Tokyo, where he was recovering from a bout of the virus, emphasizing to delegates that Japan intends to use its wealth to invest in Africa's human capital and foster high-quality and sustainable development across the continent.  

Even though Kishida did not comment on China or Russia, it is clear that Tokyo's latest economic assistance is designed to push back against growing Chinese and Russian influence in the region.  

How is China affecting Japan's Africa policy?

In recent years, Japanese diplomats in African nations have been busy warning their host governments of the potential pitfalls of accepting what appears on the surface to be generous economic assistance from Beijing.

At the TICAD conference, Japan promised $30 billion to help develop Africa over the next three years

Critics say that the Chinese aid on offer too often takes the form of huge loans for grand infrastructure projects, including commercial ports, strategic airfields, railways, bridges and highways. They argue that when the recipient nations fall behind in their debt repayments, state-run Chinese companies could be quick to step in to take over control of the assets. 

Japan and other nations are particularly concerned about strategically-located facilities with potential dual uses coming under Beijing's control, such as the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka. The government in Colombo borrowed $1 billion from China 20 years ago to build the facility.

But when the project became economically unviable and Sri Lanka could not repay the loan, it agreed to give China a controlling equity stake in the port and a 99-year lease for operating it.

However, Beijing rejects accusations it is pursuing such "debt-trap diplomacy," and alleges that it's a narrative promoted by some in the West to tarnish China's global image.

In August, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, slammed the Chinese debt trap claims, saying that Western officials and media are seeking to drive a wedge between China and other developing nations by leveling such allegations, state-run tabloid the Global Times reported.

As Beijing tries to boost its trade and investment ties with Africa, pledging $40 billion in financing to the continent in 2021, Tokyo is increasingly worried about China's increasing sway in the region.

"The biggest reason behind Japan's aid is obviously China," said Akitoshi Miyashita, a professor of international relations at Tokyo International University. "Kishida is very concerned that Japan — and other developed nations — are falling behind Beijing when it comes to appealing to governments in Africa." 

There is similar concern about Russia's influence in Africa as well. "Russia is courting China, India and a number of countries in Africa to express their support for its actions in Ukraine, so clearly there is a strong political motivation for Japan to do more in Africa," Miyashita pointed out. 

Why is Japan deeply concerned?

Stephen Nagy, an associate professor of international relations at Tokyo's International Christian University, concurred that Japan is "deeply concerned" about China's growing influence in Africa.

But he stressed that the concern was partly driven by its own trade worries. 

"China has been extremely proactive in the Republic of the Congo and other countries with large deposits of the rare earth minerals that are critical to modern technology," he said.

"Japan is working hard to make sure that China does not obtain a monopoly on those resources, which would cause serious problems for Japanese companies."

Tokyo's aim is to create a broad-based coalition of nations that share its calls for a rules-based international order, free and open ocean trading routes and a commitment to joint development.

Japan fears China does not share the same goals and wants to reshape the international order in a way that suits Beijing's interests.

"China is becoming very powerful and politically influential and they use their overseas investments and assistance to further that ambition," said Haruko Noguchi, a professor of health economics at Waseda University. "But Japan thinks and acts very differently." 

What's the difference between Chinese and Japanese aid?

Noguchi has served as an adviser to the Japanese government on aid to African countries, including to schools in Burkina Faso.

"The program there was to create a greater community in schools, to involve parents and other people in these villages, and we were able to determine that this helped children's health and academic outcomes," she said.

"Empowerment has a very positive impact on children's well-being." 

It is this sort of assistance that Japan is likely to focus its efforts on, she said, rather than the construction of airports and port infrastructure.  

"We see the future of Africa in the empowerment of its people and the development of their human capital," she said. "And yes, that might mean that Japanese companies miss out on huge construction projects, but I hope that in the future, a child who has benefited from our aid might rise to a leadership role in these countries. And that is when Japanese aid will pay off."

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru

China scraps tariffs and steps up the

charm offensive in Africa

China has removed tariffs on 98% of goods imported from nine of Africa's poorest countries. The move benefits China's image, but has little economic impact; experts say.



China wants to increase the import of agricultural products from Africa

China has removed tariffs on 98% of taxable items originating from nine of Africa's least-developed nations.

The new tariff policy, which came into force on September 1, applies to agricultural and mineral imports from the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Guinea, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sudan, and Togo.

Several Asian countries have also been included in the scheme.

It follows Chinese President Xi Jinping's announcement at the China-Africa summit in November 2021 that steps would be taken to increase the import of agricultural products from Africa.

Xi said at the time that the aim was to boost these imports from the continent to $300 (€302 billion) over the next three years, eventually reaching $300 billion a year by 2035.

Africa, which still primarily exports raw materials toChina, only accounts for a small part of China's total imports.

In 2020, food and agriculture sales to China from African countries reached $161 billion, making up 2.6% of China's total imports.
African nations keep accumulating debt

Mozambican economist Joao Mosca from the NGO Rural Environment Observatory (OMR) believes the new tariff scheme will have "practically no effect on Mozambique's economy."

He went on to explain that his country still relies on imported foodstuffs and will continue to do so for a very long time, with no capacity to export in a meaningful way.

China is Mozambique's principal individual creditor and its third-most important trading partner. But trade is largely a one-way street, to the detriment of Mozambique's overall balance of payments. The elimination of trade tariffs will not help reduce Maputo's deficits or ease its debt, explained Mosca.

But Beijing has shown a growing interest in Mozambique's commodities. Recently, China partnered with South Korea for joint natural gas exploration in the Rovuma Basin in Cabo Delgado province, which is now set to start production in 2024.

Observers see the agreement, which was signed in August, as a sign that China may want to enter the international race for Mozambican gas at full tilt.
China needs Africa's commodities

"China has become very dependent on African energy and minerals, including cobalt and coal, which are needed for high technology," said Chenshen Yen, an expert in African politics at Taiwan's National Chengchi University.

"I believe that this measure will also help China acquire more raw materials and make it easier for African minerals to enter China," he added.

China has shown increased interest in Mozambique's natural gas

Harry Verhoeven, a senior researcher at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, told DW that scrapping tariffs on mineral exports from Africa to China will do little to further encourage already massive flows from the continent to East Asia.

"They will, in most cases, just make it cheaper for Chinese importers to do so," he said.

Verhoeven does see a potential gain for the poorest African countries when it comes to manufactured goods, however.

"Some evidence suggests that China's lowering of tariffs has encouraged a diversification of exports from African states," he said.

Africa's agriculture has economic potential

A bet on agriculture could benefit both sides in future trade relations. China is, after all, the world's biggest food importer and the agricultural sector is the biggest employer and driver of economic activity on the African continent. 60% of the world's uncultivated arable land is in Africa.

China has been criticized for the debts caused by its infrastructure projects in Africa

"In a very long-term perspective, China is interested in reserving land for food production in the entire African Indian Ocean area, from Mozambique to the Horn of Africa," researcher Mosca said.

With a growing population to feed and a plan to focus on high-tech industries — as well as finding new markets for its products — China has a genuine interest in Africa's development.
China as an alternative choice

Mosca relayed a story, however, in which a former Chinese president told a Mozambican prime minister that Beijing "is set on industrializing Africa in the next 100 years." That includes exporting highly polluting industries — for which China is now under permanent scrutiny, the expert warned.

In the short term, though, the measures announced by Beijing must be seen in the context of geopolitical positioning.

This is especially true in light of the war in Ukraine, which has placed many African states in a position of conflicting loyalties. This is something that China is seeking to capitalize on, Mosca believes.

"China is saying: 'Look, there is an alternative to your age-old, traditional dependency on European countries and the US," he said.

William Young contributed to this article.

SIERRA LEONE: BLACK JOHNSON BEACH TO BECOME FISHING HARBOR UNDER CHINA DEAL

Construction or conservation?

The government of Sierra Leone is planning to build a fishing harbor off the village of Black Johnson. Some 252 acres of land in Whale Bay has been earmarked for the project. But residents and environmentalists are up in arms: They fear eviction and pollution in the area where fish breed.

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Edited by: Ineke Mules

DW RECOMMENDS

China's winning approach to African investment

Many African decision-makers see their relationships with Europe as recipients of aid, rather than as equal partners on the ground, according to the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. DW examines why this gives China an edge.

WWW LINKS
China boosts tariff-free access for African countries

AFRICA HAS NO WINTER

United front by African countries to back Beijing Winter Olympics, ignoring US ‘boycott’ calls

By Joyce Chimbi

Published: Feb 11, 2022 

Nigeria's flag bearer leads the delegation as they enter the stadium during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, at the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, on February 4, 2022.Photo: AFP

Africa has undeniably expressed its support for its biggest bilateral trading partner, China, during the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.

African leaders including Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania's Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari are unambiguously backing China.

Prior to the Games, President Mwinyi voiced his support for a "successful convening of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games."

He stressed that the eagerly awaited Olympics present an opportunity to unite people from across the continent and beyond. They are a much-needed boost for mankind to move forward faster, higher and stronger in keeping with the Olympic creed.

President Mwinyi's counterpart, President Hassan of Tanzania similarly commended China for hosting the Olympics and had no doubt that China would deliver a dazzling and successful global event.

"As a friendly and brotherly country to Nigeria, President Buhari affirms the support of the Nigerian government and its people to China," according to a statement of Nigeria's State House.

Six athletes from Nigeria, Eritrea, Ghana, Madagascar and Morocco are competing in the alpine skiing and cross-country events in Beijing's Winter Olympic Games.

Other hopefuls from countries such as Kenya are not participating for reasons including a lack of resources needed to adequate prepare for the competitive event.

Still, many Kenyans joined Chinese living in Kenya to usher in the Chinese New Year at a popular shopping mall a short distance from the capital, Nairobi.

Solid support for the Olympics was similarly expressed by presidents of various national Olympic Committee officials, including Zimbabwe's Olympic Committee president Thabani Gonye, and Mali's National Olympic and Sports Committee president Habib Sissoko.

Uganda's Olympic Committee president Donald Rukare and, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) have vocalized their support for China's key role in Winter Olympics 2022.

In this regard, African countries have put up a united front, decidedly ignoring calls from Washington for a "diplomatic boycott" of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

It is clear that calls for a boycott opposed with increasingly vocal support from across the continent by leaders, sports associations and sports enthusiasts. For Africa, the Olympics are a highlight and a celebration of China as it marks a memorable moment in sports history.

Mali, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa are among the many countries across the continent to have spoken out in support of the Winter Olympics and stressed that the Games serve to bring people together and unite the world.

In this regard, Botsang Tshenyego, president of the Botswana National Olympic Committee, strongly expressed his support for the Olympics, urging others to avoid the polarization of sports.

The overwhelming support comes hot on the heels of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in Dakar, Senegal.

During the forum, African countries drew a statement that reads in part, "We are committed to promoting the sustained and sound development of the Olympic Movement and oppose the politicization of sports."

Standing in solidarity with China, Africa has not wavered in expressing its support for a country that has stood shoulder to shoulder with a continent that has until recently, struggled to make significant strides towards sustainable development.

As the continent walks step by step with the eastern nation, it has significantly transformed as state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology have gradually improved.

For African leaders, Beijing offers a much-needed platform to foster Africa-China diplomatic ties and deepen cooperation and friendships that transcend traditional bilateral ties.

Sports experts say the event provides youths in Africa with exposure to a sport that is slowly making inroads into Africa.

As a largely tropical region and one of the hottest continents in the world, Africa lacks the climate for winter sports.

Still, many athletes in Africa continue to express a desire to participate in sports like snowboarding, skiing and bobsleigh. Experts say China-Africa relations present an opportunity for the continent to build capacities in winter sports and to learn from China.

Thus far, China-Africa relations have deepened, resulting in trade between China and Africa reaching an unprecedented high in 2021 of $254 billion. This is an estimated 35 percent increase from 2020, according to the most recent Chinese customs data.

Leveraging on this partnership, sports experts in Africa are confident that the continent is capable of spreading its wings outside of its traditional sports such as marathon and football.

There is no doubt that China has made world Olympic history as the first dual Olympic city, having already hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008. It is this level of excellence and consistency in global sports that Africa hopes to emulate.

The author is a Kenya-based journalist. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

WOMEN HOLD UP HALF THE SKY
Peng Liyuan calls for joint actions to promote women's full development
(Xinhua) 10:52, June 30, 2023

BEIJING, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping and special envoy of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the advancement of girls' and women's education, called for pulling strengths from all sides to promote full development of women.

Peng made the remarks via video link at the China-Africa Women's Forum on Thursday.

China and Africa are a community with a shared future, standing together through thick and thin, Peng said, adding women are important members of the big China-Africa family.

Over the years, under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, women from China and Africa have written a splendid chapter of shared progress through solidarity and cooperation, Peng said.

In different places across Africa, women from China are working with African sisters in medical teams, on peacekeeping missions, at infrastructure construction sites and in technical training programs. They work side by side to make a better life and contribute to a stronger China-Africa friendship, she added.

Peng said she has maintained friendly exchanges and cooperation with the Organization of African First Ladies for Development to offer love and hope.

Both China and Africa place high importance on advancing women's causes, she said.

China has taken a range of measures to strengthen the legal system protecting women's rights and interests, empower women with better education, support women's entrepreneurship and innovation, and deliver healthcare services to women and children, to foster a favorable environment for women's full development.

In Africa, countries are working hard to improve women's working and living conditions, help them get rid of poverty, and encourage women's participation in the management of the country and society, Peng said, adding these worthy efforts have produced positive results.

China and Africa will continue to march ahead together, with love and action, on the journey of advancing the development of women, she said.

Given the many challenges facing women's development, the need for solidarity and cooperation is greater than ever, Peng said.

"I am ready to work with you to carry forward the spirit of the Beijing World Conference on Women and the Global Leaders' Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, pull strengths from all sides to promote women's full development, and contribute to the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era," she added.

The China-Africa Women's Forum, jointly held by the All-China Women's Federation and the people's government of Hunan Province, opened Thursday in Changsha, capital of Hunan.
(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)

IMPERIALISM & WORLD ECONOMY

China 'winning lion's share' of construction projects in Africa, study finds


South China Morning Post
Sun, August 13, 2023

In the 1990s, about eight out of 10 contracts to build infrastructure in Africa were won by Western companies.

That started to change when China made an aggressive push into the continent, with a "going out" strategy that encouraged Chinese companies to venture overseas in search of markets and raw materials.

By 2013, when Xi Jinping became China's president, Western firms were running 37 per cent of African infrastructure projects versus 12 per cent for Chinese companies, according to a new report by the Hinrich Foundation, an Asia-based philanthropic organisation.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Now, the tables have turned. Chinese companies accounted for 31 per cent of African infrastructure contracts valued at US$50 million or more in 2022, compared with 12 per cent for Western firms, the study on Africa's growing clout in global trade and geopolitics found.

Chinese companies have built multibillion-dollar projects across the continent, including ports, railways, highways, bridges and hydroelectric dams - fuelled by Beijing's vast Belt and Road Initiative.

"This is a big change from 1990, when US and European companies won 85 per cent of African construction contracts," according to the study conducted by Keith Rockwell, a senior research fellow and former World Trade Organization director.

Rockwell said that under the belt and road strategy, launched in 2013, China had funded mega projects worth billions of dollars such as railways in Kenya and Ethiopia and ports in Djibouti and Nigeria.

In 10 years, engagement through the initiative has exceeded US$1 trillion globally, according to estimates by the Green Finance and Development Centre at Fudan University in Shanghai.

Rockwell noted that China is also Africa's largest trading partner, with US$250 billion in trade in 2021 compared with US$62 billion in US-Africa trade.

The study found that Chinese infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa totalled US$155 billion over the past two years, and that such investments had given Beijing leverage over African governments. By contrast, total US foreign direct investment in Africa came to US$44.8 billion in 2021.

"With such close trade and business relations it's no surprise that China is winning the lion's share of infrastructure project contracts," Rockwell said.

Aly-Khan Satchu, a sub-­Saharan Africa geoeconomic ­analyst, said China had been more innovative in its financing and was "significantly speedier" in making its strategic pivot to the continent.

"Of course, there have been nuances in this pivot. In the early stage Africa's balance sheet was emerging from a restructuring and debt forgiveness and therefore there was a significant amount of space and China's lending reflected this in its 'aggressive' initial phase," Satchu said.

However, Rockwell noted that China is encountering some headwinds in its dealings with Africa. He said projects including a railway in Kenya and a traffic lighting project in Ghana had been controversial and had generated negative public reaction.

He said belt and road lending had fallen by 55 per cent from 2021 to 2022 to US$7.5 billion while overall lending fell from US$28.4 billion in 2016 to US$1.9 billion in 2020. "Some of this is due to the difficulty some African countries have faced in meeting their debt obligations," Rockwell added.

Still, he said China's relations with Africa were "broad and deep" and likely to remain strong for many years.

According to the study, China is clearly ahead in the great power competition for political and economic relationships in Africa. During the Donald Trump era, the US turned its back on Africa, while relations between Europe and its former African colonies have deteriorated, and China "rushed to fill the void".

That includes the exploration and extraction of critical metals such as cobalt and lithium - essential raw materials for making the rechargeable batteries that power electric vehicles and solar panels.

The study noted that Chinese companies have stolen a march on their US and EU rivals in converting metals to raw materials for batteries. Chinese companies are now sourcing lithium from Zimbabwe and Namibia while the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia are top sources for cobalt.

China's share of global lithium refining capacity is 58 per cent and until similar facilities are operational in Europe, the US or Africa itself, China will be the main customer for Africa's lithium, the study said, citing the International Energy Agency.

But it noted that Brussels and Washington are playing catch-up. To counter China's belt and road scheme, the US and its Group of Seven partners last year pledged US$600 billion over five years to the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. Africa is likely to be the principal recipient of these funds.

The US has pledged to fund construction of the Lobito corridor railway line to transport minerals from the DRC and Zambia to the port on Angola's Atlantic coast.

The European Union in 2021 also unveiled the Global Gateway, which aims to mobilise up to €300 billion (US$330 billion) in investments between 2021 and 2027 to counter Chinese investments in developing countries, including in Africa.

Satchu said China had an "unassailable lead" in Africa, with significant "assets" on the ground after more than two decades of engagement.

"Both the US and Europe need to come to the party in the context of the battle for minerals, which will power the new economy," he added.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

INTER IMPERIALIST RIVALRY FOR HEGEMONY

In Africa, Trump saw 'huts.' Biden sees opportunity to curb President Xi's growing influence


Michael Collins, USA TODAY
Sun, November 19, 2023 

WASHINGTON – When Donald Trump looked at Africa, he crudely dismissed its significance and fretted African immigrants would never “go back to their huts” once they entered the United States.

When Joe Biden looks at Africa, he sees opportunities to curb China’s growing influence in the world.

Biden has sought to move beyond Trump’s dismissive, sometimes confrontational approach and focus instead on deepening ties with a continent that is home to a rapidly growing population and stands as a potentially important geopolitical partner.

“Our eyes are fixed squarely on the future,” Biden told a small group of African leaders in Washington last year.

But beneath the promissory oratory lies a more strategic reason for the shift in attitude and approach to U.S.-Africa policy.

“It’s about China,” said Mark Green, former ambassador to Tanzania and president of the Wilson Center, a nonpartisan think tank that focuses on global affairs. “It’s about great power, competition.”

On Wednesday, Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in person for the second time since Biden became president. The four-hour meeting, held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperative conference in San Francisco, comes as the two leaders work to repair relations deeply strained by a trade war that started when Trump was in office and by clashes over technology, China’s aggression against Taiwan and a Chinese spy balloon that flew over the United States earlier this year until a U.S. fighter jet shot it down.

In his opening remarks, Biden told Xi the two leaders must ensure that competition between their countries “does not veer into conflict.”

“We have to manage it responsibly – that competition,” Biden said. “That’s what the United States want and what we intend to do. I also believe that's what the world wants from both of us: candid exchange.”

Xi said that while the China-U.S. relationship has never been smoothing sailing, “it has kept moving forward amid twists and turns.”

“Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed, and one country’s success is an opportunity for the other,” he said.

Neither leader acknowledged, at least not publicly, the newest arena in the competition between the two economic giants: Africa.

'You're going to be seeing a lot of us': China has far surpassed the US as an economic player in Africa. Can Biden change that?

President Joe Biden greets Senegalese President Macky Sall during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington last December.

'New kid on the block in Africa'

China, an economic and military rival of the United States, has made significant gains in Africa over the past two decades, setting off alarms in the U.S. and among European countries who fear Beijing’s growing influence in the world.

“China in the 2000s became the new kid on the block in Africa,” said Amaka Anku, who heads the Africa practice for the Eurasia Group, a global political risk consulting firm based in New York City.

China has far surpassed the U.S. as an economic player in Africa. Trade between China and Africa hit $254 billion in 2021 – four times the trade between the U.S. and Africa, according to the United States Institute of Peace, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded by Congress.

China is the largest provider of foreign direct investment in Africa, supporting hundreds of thousands of African jobs – roughly double the level of U.S. foreign direct investment on the continent. China is also by far the largest lender to African countries, often providing loans that come with much more favorable terms than those offered by U.S. lenders.

What’s more, the Chinese have been pushing to establish a military base on Africa’s western coast – a particular concern for the Biden administration, which sees China as the most consequential threat to U.S. national security.

“This is a crossroads moment for U.S.-Africa relations,” Green said. “And I think it’s important that we continue to build relationships.”

The best way to do that, he said, is for the president to set foot in Africa – “quite frankly, the sooner, the better.”

'All in on Africa's future': Biden announces trade, infrastructure investments in Africa

Biden has said he plans to visit Africa this year, although no plans have been announced, and with just six weeks left in 2023, a trip there this year seems unlikely. The White House, pressed by reporters on whether Biden plans to keep his promise to visit before the end of the year, has simply said that it has no update on his travel schedule.

Biden insists his goal is not to contain China, and his administration has downplayed suggestions that his interest in Africa is tied to a desire to curb Chinese influence there.

Besides the economy, analysts say there are multiple reasons for the U.S. to engage with Africa, not the least of which is the rise of authoritarianism on the continent – a concern for the U.S. and other democracies. Africa also has the world’s youngest population. The top 10 countries with the lowest median age are there, according to the Wilson Center.

The African Union, which represents the continent’s 54 countries, is pushing for a permanent seat or seats on the U.N. National Security Council, which would provide some of the respect the continent has long sought on the world stage.

Biden has publicly supported not only giving Africa a permanent seat at the U.N. but adding the African Union to the Group of 20 nations. South Africa is currently the only African member of the G-20, a governmental forum made up of the world’s major industrial and emerging countries.

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'African leaders don't want to be chess pieces'

Trump didn’t exactly endear himself to Africans during the four years he was in office. He never visited Africa during his presidency, making him the first president since Ronald Reagan to never set foot on the continent while in office.

Trump’s incendiary language didn’t help, either.

During an Oval Office meeting with lawmakers about immigration, he questioned why the U.S. would accept more migrants from Haiti and “sh**hole countries” in Africa rather than places like Norway. In a separate meeting a few months earlier, he reportedly groused that thousands of Haitians who’d entered the United States had AIDS and that Nigerian visitors would never “go back to their huts” in Africa. Critics called his remarks derogatory and racist.

Biden sought to reset relations with Africa upon taking office. Last December, the administration hosted the first U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit since 2014. Heads of state from 49 African nations and the African Union were invited to Washington for an opportunity to re-engage with the Biden administration.

To underscore its commitment to Africa, the U.S. has promised to send $55 billion to Africa over the next three years for initiatives to improve health care, mitigate the dangers of climate change, boost trade and investment and set up programs to help women entrepreneurs.

And while Biden has yet to visit, first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other administration officials have traveled to the continent over the past year, promising the U.S. is serious about deepening its ties to Africa.

Whenever Biden makes the trip, African leaders will be looking for more than promises from the administration, analysts said.

They will be looking for a signal that the U.S. considers the region important – and not just as a buffer against China, Green said.

“African leaders don’t want to be chess pieces,” he said.

African countries need funding to help them finance critical development initiatives, infrastructure projects and climate change mitigation, said Rama Yade, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center.

“They have development needs of $200 billion per year, and that is absolutely key,” she said. “Six hundred million people suffer from a lack of electricity, not to mention food insecurity, problems of housing, of transportation, of infrastructure. Those are critical.”

African leaders are willing to work so closely with China, Yade said, “because the Chinese – they bring money.”

The U.S. government’s announcement of funding programs for Africa in the past has always come with the promise of millions of dollars in accompanying investments from the private sector. But the private sector funding seldom materializes, Anku said.

For now, “I think what African countries would like to see is ‘show me the money,’” she said.

While Africa has many big-ticket needs, smaller projects or those that directly benefit communities can sometimes have the most lasting impact, Green said.

Green came to realize that soon after he was named ambassador to Tanzania and landed in Dar es Salaam to present his credentials. The arrival of a new ambassador is a big deal, with lots of limousines and a ceremony filled with pomp and circumstance. But what Green remembers most about that day is his cab driver.

“Before we took off, he turned around, leaned (over) to me and he said, ‘I was taught by a Peace Corps teacher,’ and he returned to the wheel,” Green said. “For him, that was the big deal, not the formalities. It was American compassion and action.”

“That, to me,” Green added, “is how you make a difference.”

Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Biden sees Africa as opportunity to curb China's influence

Africa: Western Colonialism vs The Legacy of the Soviet Union

Moscow - along with Beijing - is preparing for a long-term geopolitical confrontation in Africa.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) walks with Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni after their press conference at the State House in Entebbe on July 26, 2022. (Photo by BADRU KATUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)

RAMZY BAROUD

August 7, 2022

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's recent tour in Africa was meant to be a game changer, not only in terms of Russia's relations with the continent, but in the global power struggle involving the US, Europe, China, India, Turkey and others.

Many media reports and analyses placed Lavrov's visit to Egypt, the Republic of Congo, Uganda and Ethiopia within the obvious political context of the Russia-Ukraine war. The British Guardian's Jason Burka summed up Lavrov's visit in these words: “Lavrov is seeking to convince African leaders and, to a much lesser extent, ordinary people that Moscow cannot be blamed either for the conflict or the food crisis.”

Though true, there is more at stake.

Africa’s importance to the geostrategic tug of war is not a new phenomenon. Western governments, think tanks and media reports have, for long, allocated much attention to Africa due to China’s and Russia’s successes in altering the foreign policy map of many African countries. For years, the West has been playing catch up, but with limited success.

The Economist discussed 'the new scramble for Africa' in a May 2019 article, which reported on “governments and businesses from all around the world” who are “rushing” to the continent in search of “vast opportunities” awaiting them there. Between 2010 and 2016, 320 foreign embassies were opened in Africa which, according to the magazine, is “probably the biggest embassy-building boom, anywhere, ever.”

Though China has often been portrayed as a country seeking economic opportunities only, the nature and evolution of Beijing’s relations with Africa prove otherwise. Beijing is reportedly the biggest supplier of arms to sub-Saharan Africa, and its defense technology permeates almost the entire continent. In 2017, China established its first military base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.

Russia’s military influence in Africa is also growing exponentially, and Moscow’s power is challenging that of France, the US and others in various strategic spaces, mainly in the East Africa regions.

But, unlike the US and other western states, countries like China, Russia and India have been cautious as they attempt to strike the perfect balance between military engagement, economic development and political language.

‘Quartz Africa’ reported that trade between Africa and China “rose to a record high” in 2021. The jump was massive: 35% between 2020 and 2021, reaching a total of $254 billion.

Now that Covid-19 restrictions have been largely lifted, trade between Africa and China is likely to soar at astronomical levels in the coming years. Keeping in mind the economic slump and potential recession in the West, Beijing’s economic expansion is unlikely to slow down, despite the obvious frustration of Washington, London and Brussels. It ought to be said that China is already Africa’s largest trade partner, and by far.

Russia-China-Africa’s strong ties are paying dividends on the international stage. Nearly half of the abstentions in the vote on United Nations Resolution ES-11/1 on March 2, condemning Russia’s military action in Ukraine, came from Africa alone. Eritrea voted against it. This attests to Russia’s ability to foster new alliances on the continent. It also demonstrates the influence of China - Russia’s main ally in the current geopolitical tussle – as well.

Yet, there is more to Africa’s position than mere interest in military hardware and trade expansion. History is most critical.

In the first 'scramble for Africa', Europe sliced up and divided the continent into colonies and areas of influence. The exploitation and brutalization that followed remain one of the most sordid chapters in modern human history.

What the Economist refers to as the 'second scramble for Africa' during the Cold War era was the Soviet Union’s attempt to demolish the existing colonial and neo-colonial paradigms established by western countries throughout the centuries.

The collapse of the Soviet Union over three decades ago changed this dynamic, resulting in an inevitable Russian retreat and the return to the uncontested western dominance. That status quo did not last for long, however, as China and, eventually, Russia, India, Turkey, Arab countries and others began challenging western supremacy.

Lavrov and his African counterparts fully understand this context. Though Russia is no longer a Communist state, Lavrov was keen on referencing the Soviet era, thus the unique rapport Moscow has with Africa, in his speeches. For example, ahead of his visit to Congo, Lavrov said in an interview that Russia had “long-standing good relations with Africa since the days of the Soviet Union.”

Such language cannot be simply designated as opportunistic or merely compelled by political urgency. It is part of a complex discourse and rooted superstructure, indicating that Moscow - along with Beijing - is preparing for a long-term geopolitical confrontation in Africa.

Considering the West’s harrowing colonial past, and Russia’s historic association with various liberation movements on the continent, many African states, intelligentsias and ordinary people are eager to break free from the grip of western hegemony.

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.



RAMZY BAROUD is a journalist and the Editor of the Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of five books including: "These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons" (2019), "My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story" (2010) and "The Second Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People's Struggle" (2006). Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA), Istanbul Zaim University (IZU). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net.

COMRADELY IMPERIALISM
China's winning approach to African investment

Many African decision-makers see their relationships with Europe as recipients of aid, rather than as equal partners on the ground, according to the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. DW examines why this gives China an edge.


This expressway in Nairobi, Kenya was built by a Chinese state-owned company

The Nairobi Expressway winds through the metropolis like a giant river on stilts. It stretches over 27 kilometers (17 miles) through the heart of the Kenyan capital and connects the West African country's most important airport with Nairobi's central business district, the National Museum and the Presidential Palace.

Construction under the aegis of China took only two years. Now the toll road is helping to relieve the city's congested traffic arteries.

China's state-owned companies are increasingly ahead of their European competitors with swift decisions and speedy implementation of contracts in Africa. That's according to a study published in June by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, a German organization for liberal and libertarian politics. The foundation is affiliated with Germany's Free Democratic Party, currently in a coalition government with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

IS ZAMBIA SLOWLY BECOMING CHINESE?
Railway of friendship
When the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) project was completed in 1976, it was China's largest single foreign-aid package and a symbol of Beijing's support for newly independent African countries. China dispatched nearly 50,000 engineering and technical personnel to work on TAZARA. However, this mighty project has been waning since the late 1990s. Now the train transports more copper than people.
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Europe exports values

More than 1,600 decision-makers from 25 countries were surveyed, including top managers, employees of NGOs and civil servants.

Their answers paint a picture of a Europe that seeks above all to export its values to Africa, while loans, excavators and workers come from China.

"The Clash of Systems" is how the foundation describes the results of the online survey conducted by Kenya's Inter Region Economic Network think tank.

China also financed a railway that was launched in 2019

Europeans are perceived by decision-makers as having an edge on most performance indicators, according to Stefan Schott, a project manager for East Africa and the Global Partnership Hub at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.

Social standards, the provision of jobs for locals, environmental standards and the quality of products stand out, he said.

On a list of 17 criteria, Chinese companies come out ahead on only four indicators — they make decisions more quickly, implement projects faster, interfere less in internal affairs and have fewer qualms about using corruption.

UGANDA: A BATTLE FOR SACRED LANDS AS NATURE WINS NEW RIGHTS
Guardians of the land
Alon Kiiza, an elder of the area's Indigenous Bagungu community, lives in the rural Buliisa district at the epicenter of this ongoing, foreign-led scramble for the continent's natural resources. The 88-year-old is among many there watching the industrial hubbub with concern. "Drilling for oil will disturb the ecosystem," he said. "The spirit of the land does not connect well with these machines."
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'Paternalistic behavior' a problem

"Obviously, these are the most important factors; there is no other way to explain the success of the Chinese in Africa," Schott said in an interview with DW.

Europeans would have to draw their conclusions from this. It also affects their reputation for imposing regulations, he said.

"The paternalistic behavior of the Europeans is a problem; the Africans have difficulties with that," Schott emphasized.

Watch video03:28
Is China Africa's new colonial power?

In view of this realization, what is the recommendation for German and European Africa policy?

"We would never advise throwing the European values of democracy, human rights, sustainability overboard. That would damage Europe's position," said Schott.

But countries would have to examine whether one should approach conditions in Africa with European standards.

"If the best standards are so high that the Chinese always receive the bid for business, you haven't done any good for the social situation," he said.

The European Union talks about values, he said, but if a constructed road leads to a village, that's also a value.
A European investment bank for Africa?

Schott also brought up the idea of a European investment bank, with a mandate for quick decisions. To facilitate this speed, all 27 EU member states would not have to be consulted in advance.

The partnership at eye level, which European politicians like to emphasize, must definitely be examined.

"The survey participants don't see that, but rather perceive Africa as an aid recipient," Schott added.


The EU wants to invest in Africa — but puts strong values on good governance before any finances are agreed

For James Shikwati, a Kenyan economist and co-author of the study, this is precisely the crux of the matter: Europeans are stuck in their outdated view of Africa, Shikwati told DW.

They dictate to Africans what they need and are trapped in their own value system, which holds them back. Europe emphasizes governance, while the Chinese focus on "hardware," the concrete infrastructure to touch.

"They ask: Which road should be built from where to where? But the Europeans first check how many insects walk over it," said Shikwati, laughing. "It doesn't work that way in Africa," he added.
Rethinking required on both sides

Europe needs to tailor its investment plans and approaches to engagement to specific regions and manage them flexibly, he said.

For Africa, that means offering competitive and strategically focused policies rather than fighting existing ones, Shikwati added.

That's the old Europe, he said, but what's needed is a new way of thinking. "It's not just about migrants coming from Africa, but the incentive should be the huge opportunities that exist in Africa for investment and development."

Only 4% of Chinese investment flows to Africa, the economist said. The rest goes to the United States, Europe and other regions.

But that 4% has produced a lot in poor African countries in just under 20 years — while consolidating China's influence as the continent's most important trading partner.

How many elections a government holds and how human rights are respected is important, Shikwati stressed.

However, this will not bring about a major turnaround for African countries.

This article was originally published in German

SEE 

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=CHINA+AFRICA

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=CHINA+IMPERIALISM

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=CHINA+STATE+CAPITALISM

Bukharin on State Capitalism and Imperialism | Leftcom

https://www.leftcom.org/.../2020-08-21/bukharin-on-state-capitalism-and-imperialism

2020-08-21 · As we have already noted, for Bukharin, imperialism and state capitalism were linked to militarism and the inevitability of more wars. As he says in the article which follows, …

• Estimated Reading Time: 14 mins

Joseph Schumpeter, State Imperialism and Capitalism (1919)

panarchy.org/schumpeter/imperialism.html

Imperialism is not seen as the most advanced stage of capitalism but as the clear sign that pre-capitalistic (i.e. feudal) aspects survive in capitalism. This results from the subservience of …

Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism: A Reading …

https://www.socialistrevolution.org/imperialism-the-highest-stage-of-capitalism-a...

2022-02-02 · Lenin has already explained that imperialism is not a feature or attitude of capitalism: it is the highest state of capitalism itself, an inevitable outcome of free …

China’s State Capitalist Imperialism | Socialist Alternative

https://www.socialistalternative.org/2021/05/09/chinas-state...

2021-05-09 · US imperialism was the leader of the capitalist bloc following WW2, in a Cold War against primarily the Soviet Union, but also China. The latter two were non-capitalist bureaucratically planned economies ruled dictatorially by …

Imperialism and the Final Stage of “Capitalism” - Liberal Currents

https://www.liberalcurrents.com/imperialism-and-the-final-stage-of-capitalism

2018-05-10 · The idea that imperialism was a natural part of the internal “logic of capitalism

 

PLO Lumumba | Why Africa is Attractive To China | China Is Africa's New Colonial Master | Part 1

Jun 7, 2020

Africa Web TV

China is Africa's new colonial master according to PLO Lumumba. He is a staunch Pan-Africanist who has delivered several powerful speeches alluding to or about African solutions to African problems.  Lumumba is the director of The Kenya School of Laws. 

He is an admirer of Patrice Lumumba and Thomas Sankara, the deceased and assassinated revolutionary leaders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burkina Faso, respectively. Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba has referred to and quoted them several times in his speeches.

This speech on how to make Africa work was delivered in Ghana in 2019.

0:00 Africa is Attractive

2:48 Globalisation

6:45 Africa can be great again

10:54 New threats 

12:50 Learning from China

14:42 China taking over African minds

16:20 Africa agenda 2063

21:01 African leaders

 Part 2 is here - https://youtu.be/EgsiZO_8xE8