- The power play between US and China calls for closer observation by Africans and a rethinking of values.
For so long, Africa has simply been a big pie on the chessboard for world powers like the United States, Britain, France, and China.
Late last year, specifically between December 13 and 15, the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit was held in Washington, DC, at the insistence of the United States president, Joe Biden. Present at the summit were delegations from all 49 invited African countries and the African Union, alongside members of civil society and the private sector.
The summit, the host acknowledged, was rooted in the recognition of Africa’s place in shaping the future, not just that of its people but of the world, and is largely seen as a measure to counter China’s increasingly growing presence on the continent.
Africa, the beautiful bride
The big question, however, remains: who really has the genuine interests of the African continent at heart? While both parties brandish figures and cite instances that show that they are the true partners in progress for Africa, much more lies beneath the figures and rhetoric.
China has increasingly been accused of putting Africa under its political control through a systemic debt trap. However, the available facts seem to suggest otherwise.
According to China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, since the beginning of the new century, China has built in Africa more than 6,000 kilometers of railways and roads, nearly 20 ports, and over 80 large-scale power facilities, and funded over 130 hospitals and clinics, over 170 schools, 45 sports venues, and over 500 agricultural projects.
The West vs China…
Reports from the World Bank also show that multilateral financial institutions and commercial creditors hold as much as three-quarters of Africa’s total external debt. While the popular narrative and what many have come to believe may not support this, it appears China’s diplomatic history bolsters the assumption that it is increasingly pro-Africa.
Asserting this, Qin Gang recently noted that Africa and China have been good brothers, sharing weal and woe, and have forged ahead side by side on the path of common development. He contends that the allegation that China is creating a “debt trap” in Africa is not only baseless but also a ploy to create enmity between the two.
According to him, China has been committed to helping Africa ease its debt burden by actively participating in the Group of 20 (G20) Debt Service Suspension Initiative, signing agreements or reaching consensuses with 19 African countries on debt relief, and suspending the most debt service payments among G20 members.
China, he says, has also been actively engaged in the case-by-case debt treatment for a number of African countries, such as Chad, Ethiopia, and Zambia, under the G20 Common Framework.
He noted that President Xi Jinping recently announced at the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation that China would channel to African countries 10 billion U.S. dollars from its share of the International Monetary Fund’s new allocation of Special Drawing Rights, and this work has seen initial progress.
These efforts have played an important role in advancing economic and social development and improving lives on the African continent. But the question that suffices here is this: To what end are all these gestures of generosity?
It is no secret that Africa is a beautiful bride, courted by all and sundry simply for what it has to offer. To a large extent, Africa has become a hotbed of bloc rivalry, with each trying to outdo the other simply because it determines who gets access to the enormous mineral wealth, albeit crude but still critical to these blocs’ ability to power and fuel their luxurious lifestyles.
Africa’s rich resources
Metals including gold, iron, titanium, zinc, and copper are some of the minerals produced in several African countries. Ghana is the continent’s largest producer of gold, followed by South Africa and Mali. Industrial minerals such as diamonds, gypsum, salt, sulphur, and phosphates were the main commodity for 13 African countries.
Lithium, which is a highly reactive metal and is now in huge demand due to its use in the making of rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and other electronics such as laptops, cell phones, electric vehicles, and grid storage, has just been discovered in large quantities in Nigeria. Found in large quantities in the northern states of Kogi, Nasarawa, Kwara, and Plateau, as well as Oyo, Ekiti, and Cross River in the south, it has promptly attracted foreign interest in the likes of Tesla.
For one, it is obvious that Africa is not lacking in resources, as more and more are discovered daily. Its only challenge is its ability to wake up and invest in adding value to its long list of valuable minerals, which unfortunately hold little value unless refined and processed into modern consumables and needs.
That Africa continues to be courted by various super powers should not cloud anyone’s thoughts but be seen for what it really is, a never-ending drive to plunder the continent’s resources in order to enrich these individuals’ countries’ lifestyles while leaving African countries perpetually impoverished and backward.
Kagame, the lone voice?
At this point, it is important to note that, as Paul Kagame has repeatedly stated in his criticism of the West, Africa needs to stand up for itself and stop playing second fiddle or puppet in the hands of western powers, whose only motive behind any stand or action is simply what suits and profits them at any given point in time.
For example, President Kagame has in the past called out the United States for “punishing” it simply because it wanted to grow economically through its textile industry, which would ensure that it was no longer dependent on the purchase of second-hand clothing from the US.
The truth is, neither China nor the US is really out to be magnanimous; rather, every friendship, commitment, and act of aid is inspired by how much it can extend an overbearing hand in the affairs of any country and continue to protect its interests, which are simply the exploitation of the continent’s resources.
All hands should be equal
It should be noted that both China and the United States are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, while Africa, as big as it has been touted by both nations, is not. This certainly calls into question how balanced the entire picture is.
It is high time that a cohesive and deliberate move is made by Africa and its leaders to stand up for themselves and be independent. Trade negotiations and alliances should never be based on what these parties can gain. Africa must stand up for itself.
