FLY ON THE WALL: The new scramble for Africa

Everyone these days has a forum for Africa. That is Japan, China, European Union, India and the United States. Indeed everyone, even Turkey has an African Summit.

Every one of them seems to know what they want from Africa except Africa itself.

The African continent is fodder for all ravaging marauders.

African leaders speak to podiums and proclaim their Africanness when it comes to defending their hold on to power.

However, when it comes to the basic needs of the African citizens, when it comes to the human development the matter begins to be complicated.

Not long ago, China held its Africa summit at which some goods were doled out to African countries in exchange for the mineral and oil wealth, among others that the Chinese are dying to get their hands on.

Let us agree that everyone out their seems to have a plan in as far as Africa is concerned.

The trouble is Africa. She has no African plan for Africa. Not even the guys who sit at the Chinese built Africa Union Headquarters have an African plan.

Look at a Free Trade Area for Africa that would work for Africa. Tanzania does not need to scream itself horse at the top of Kilimanjaro to say that it supports a free trade area going by how it does well at putting barriers even between district and district.

Agreed. Colonialism did untold damage to our collective psyche. Colonialism divided Africa into enclaves that included Anglophone, Francophone and others.

While we fight each ofher over nation states and tribes as it is wont to happen, the smart guys in Washington, Brussels, London and these days even in Ankara, Turkey are busy scheming how to continue stoking those embers as they scramble for Africa’s wealth.

How else can one explain these number of Africa Summits since the 1970’s none of which has been convened by Africans to discuss the well-being of Africa?

The Focus on Africa China cooperation is claimed to be at the request of China.

If that is the case how come in places like Kenya, Zambia and Angola the countries are so deeply indebted to China, you would almost be forgiven if they were auction entirely to clear their debts?

You can’t make this stuff up. Start in 1973 France had its first France-Africa Summit which has since 1990 become bi-annual. In 2013 40 Heads of State were in attendance.

In 1993 Japan was host to the first Tokyo International Conference on African Development.

The 40 Heads of States got $40 billion for their efforts. Then followed the European Union-Africa Summit in the year 2000, in which 55 Heads of States got $44 billion.

The Forum on China Africa Cooperation got 41 Heads of State to obtain a $60 billion loan from China in 2006.

In the same year, South Korea went in on the game with the Korea-Africa Forum on Economic Cooperation.

Not to be left behind, India and Turkey came next in 2008. In Turkey there were seven presidents while in New Delhi 41 of them attended the India-Africa Forum Summit.

Come 2011, Norway weighed in with its Norwegian-African Summit.

It was attended by Nigeria and South Africa. Forget that at the East African Coast it’s the Norwegians fuelling the fractious ownership battle over territory between Somalia and Kenya.

In 2014 a US-Africa Leadership forum was held and was attended by 45 heads of governments and which it is said $7 billion was unleashed.

While Africa Union meetings are forum for suit-wearing politicians with nationalistic egos, when the rest meets Africa it is the businessmen wearing suits that come with the low hanging fruits. The politicians are always the window dressers.

Has Africa learnt anything on negotiations? How can we, when we are busy, bask at photograph opportunity with the leaders of the major powers?

Never mind when Africans go and work in the West they are called migrants and not experts which is what we call them when they work here.

The columnist is a researcher & Communications specialist with the firm Midas Touché East Africa Email [email protected]