{UAH} OP-ED: IS AFRICA IGNORANT ABOUT GLOBAL AFRICAN INTERESTS?

Dear Editor.

I will deliberately avoid statistics here today. This is mainly about how we Africans could broadly understand Africa's economic and development interests within global geo-politics.
BRICS a new global entity aimed at countering US hegemony, is currently having a summit in Goa, India.
The presidents of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are in attendance at this 8th BRICS Summit (15-16 October 2016).
The group also invited several countries from regional economic entities from Asia.
It is quite alarming that Africa, which has put its development hopes on BRICS, and which is ably represented by South Africa, isn't reporting about what is taking place at the summit.
What is in it for Africa at this point in time?
We for example need to be knowledgeable about the stage at which The New Development Bank (NDB) has reached in its operationalization.
This is the BRICS bank. The much hyped alternative to the World Bank. It is supposed to fund infrastructure development in the Third World.
We have a problem in that the global western media seems to have deliberately slapped a media black-out on the build up to this summit, possibly because BRICS and its NDB bank are competing with their national/common interests: Their World Bank and IMF.
Yet African media which knows that our continent has clear direct interests in BRICS, could unknowingly be following that western media black-out on BRICS.
Meanwhile, Western countries have ignored Africa when it comes to global affairs. It increasingly seems as if we are insignificant except when they need to show that they are generous and human righteous. This gives them political leverage globally. It is therefore Africa that maintains the pseudo global authority of western countries.
Someone once perfectly nailed it when he said we are now seeing western human rights imperialism. It must have been Mr. Andrew Mwenda in an interesting article two years ago in the Independent Magazine. May I add the word 'terrorism imperialism' as their latest tool to maintain hegemony. For more than a decade and ahalf the war on terror has been the mantra of US foreign policy and international cooperation.
Meanwhile however, there might come a time when minimizing Africa will turn out to have a cost far more onerous than anyone ever expected. China is busy making sure that day will come.
They are the only country that have seen the strategic position that Africa can hold as a partner in future global economic growth and geo-strategic influence. And they are helping Africa to build that strategic platform. It us mutually beneficial.
Already we all know that the most committed country to Africa, particularly in general trade and infrastructure development, is China.
Imagine what happens when they start transferring technology and tech industries to Africa. I imagine 'Made in Africa' smartphones based on Chinese manufacturing technology. Modern electrical appliances, vehicles. Surely one day Africa will manufacture aircraft. I have no doubt that China could be the most likely nation involved in such a development.
I once stated that if US and the EU had transferred their redundant industries to Africa when China rose as an economic challenger and knocked them out of business, they would have maintained their previous economic global edge even with new rising economies joining the competition from the Far East and South Asia.
When it comes to cooperation with Africa, besides greatly worded speeches that give hope and maybe a smile on our own faces, in reality we see western countries almost ridicule Africa's industrial potential by not living up to their colourful words about our prospects. In stark contrast, China doesn't say much. They aren't patting our backs in seminars and peer review white papers that are being discussed at economic conferences and prestigious universities. Instead they bow humbly as required by their respectful greeting tradition. But make no mistake. They are the ones actually in full throttle here. Today China is strong enough to lend money to the US.
America owes them about a trillion Dollars in foreign debt. They literally saved Wall Street after the last global financial crisis (2009).
In Africa, China is weaning the continent off western political influence and meddling, and ensuring that Africa will always be their partner at the table of global decisions.
Surely we do have problems with cheap substandard products from China. But that is a completely different and comparably benign issue altogether. One that could simply be discussed and agreed on bilaterally. But do we Africans fully grasp the bigger picture and what is at stake?

By Hussein Lumumba Amin
Kampala, Uganda.
16/08/2016

Background info on the 8th BRICS Summit 2016 ending today: wikipedia.org/wiki/8th_BRICS_summit

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