By Kofi Akordor
Last week, in characteristic fashion, 14 African leaders left their national capitals in chase of the ever-elusive Golden Fleece. This time the expected lucky ground is New Delhi, the Indian capital and among those who attended were the leaders of South Africa, Tanzania, Algeria, Kenya, Egypt and Ghana.
One of the reasons for the gathering for what was dubbed the India-Africa Forum summit was, as expected, to bolster trade and political ties between India and Africa for the mutual benefit of their people. African countries carried to the forum what they have in abundance and which they showcase at such international fora — rich natural resources including strategic minerals such as uranium, which is a vital component in the nuclear industry, vast deposits of oil, gold, timber and many others without any added value, in addition to a vast market ready to be exploited.
The Indian leaders for their part told the African leaders what they always want to hear, that is, aid packages and investment opportunities. India has already pledged to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in development projects on the continent. This includes US$500 million in grants for development projects over the next five to six years.
India also pledged to double its line credit to African countries and regional economic groupings from US$2.15 billion currently to US$5.4 billion; allow duty-free imports from the poorest of the poor countries and provide preferential market access for exports from 50 least developed countries (LDC) of which 34 come from Africa.
With such tantalising offers one would expect African leaders to return to their capitals with broad smiles all over their face. But is that the reality? What India failed to tell the African leaders directly or openly was that India desperately needs Africa’s vast resources to support its growing industrial and technological advancement and to open bigger markets for its products in pharmaceuticals, automobiles, electronics and information technology.
Even though the doors to these fora are open to African countries as equal partners trying to shape mutual strategies with their hosts for common benefits, the end results do not support this position.
The Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, Anand Sharma, in trying to debunk the notion that the New Delhi Forum was just another give-and-take affair, said the summit was a mere way for India and Africa to strengthen their bilateral ties and work together in the future as partners.
However, there are many who could not be convinced by such assurances. Mr Francois Moloi, South Africa’s High Commissioner to India, must have been speaking for the rest of the continent, when he observed that “Africa is no longer interested in economic partners who have a colonial mindset, or are looking just to exploit our natural resources”. He went on: “We want investment in our nation and we welcome economic partners — but it is also about developing a partnership for the long term, not just to have companies or countries come in and raid our country and then leave”.
This is not the first time African leaders have carried their problems to other continents for solution. On November 4 and 5, 2006, 49 African leaders gathered in Beijing, the Chinese capital, for the forum on China-Africa co-operation. At the end of that forum, the leaders from both continents proclaimed the establishment of a new type of strategic partnership between China and Africa.
China, like India, also signed agreements on agriculture and fishery, economic, energy and oil exploration with many African countries. Again, it was said that the Beijing Summit was to serve as a platform for the collective consultation and dialogue as well as co-operation mechanism for equal and benefits to the two partners.
Other objectives of the Beijing Summit include deepening and broadening mutually beneficial co-operation, encouraging and promoting two-way trade and investment, exploring new modes of co-operation and giving top priority to co-operation in agriculture, infrastructure, industry, fishery, IT, public health and personnel training to draw on one another’s strengths for the benefit of their people.
The Beijing Summit had gone ahead to set a trade target between Africa and China to reach US$100 billion by 2010, which as at the end of last year stood at US$73 billion. China has also pledged a package of aid and assistance measures to Africa, including US$3 billion in preferential loans over a three-year period and the exemption of more debt owed by poor African countries.
China as an emerging economy like India needs more resources including oil to fuel its growing industries and market for its products including textiles, automobiles, pharmaceuticals and electronics.
At the close of the year, from December 8 to 9, 2007, African leaders met their European counterparts in Portugal at the Lisbon Summit, again, to put the African problem on the international agenda. To remove any doubts of master-servant relationship, Mr Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid and for Relations with Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries, had this to say: “Europe and Africa are natural allies. An indispensable partnership, strong and sincere between these two large and beautiful continents, can build a future of peace and prosperity. Together they can decisively create a new world order, fairer, more equitable and freer”. How I wish these words were true!
The Lisbon Summit also prepared the grounds for the Joint EU/Africa Strategy and Action Plan which is to provide a long-term vision for a strategic partnership between Africa and the EU for the benefit of the people of the two continents.
The hollowness of Mr Michel’s words did not take long to manifest, when the Lisbon Summit ended on a rather acrimonious note over trade deals between the two continents. What generated the acrimony were the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), designed to replace the then existing deals with African countries. The EU said if African countries failed to sign the EPAs, they could lose tariff-free access to European markets under rules laid down by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The African voice against the EPAs was raised by President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and supported by President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa.
The two mentioned so far, according to objective analysts, have a common agenda. The hosts are more interested in Africa’s resources than in anything else. The Europeans feel they have been overtaken by events, following China’s emergence as a dominant economic power and are therefore ready to stake a strong claim on a big chunk of Africa’s resources. So the Lisbon Summit was mainly to help the Europeans retain what they have and expand their sphere of influence in the world’s richest naturally resourced continent.
There is a strong reason for China’s overtures to Africa and so is India’s, with India right at the heels of China, jostling for position in the new order of things. The question then is, Why should African leaders take delight trooping to other continents for solutions when their countries have all that others do not have? Why should they be the beggars when they are in a stronger position to determine how and where the bargaining should go?
China and India are two countries that made it without making themselves visitors at every economic forum in other countries and they made it without a fraction of what Africa is endowed with in terms of natural resources. What they have in abundance and which African countries must begin to cultivate are proper planning, foresight, setting of priorities, patriotism, determination, self-reliance and the will power not to play second fiddle to any external power.
If African countries can close their ranks, forge ahead in singleness of purpose and plan to utilise their resources meaningfully for development, they will not need all these pledges which at the end of the day will only entangle them the more in economic and political quagmire. Africa’s quest for solutions to its development cannot be found in foreign capitals but right here, deep in the mineral rich forests, ocean beds and beautiful coastline, given a more focused, incorrupt and visionary political leadership that is prepared to appreciate and utilise the tremendous human resource at its disposal. Until then, the objectives of these so-called international fora on mutual partnership and co-operation will remain a mirage that will not bring the Golden Fleece.
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