BETTER late than never. The Chinese read the signs on the wall and headed to Africa decades ago. Epiphany kicked in for the rest of the Western world in 2007 and more and more leaders are finding the ‘dark continent’ not so dark anymore. It was almost a month ago when Barack Obama stood in Cairo to address the Muslim world, and I am sure only a few people paused to wonder why Egypt? Why not Saudi Arabia, Yemen or Syria? I know I am usually delirious, but you can bet no one sat in the White House flipped coins to see where the next official visit should be, and it landed on Egypt. Safe to say that there is some strategy involved in all of this.In a few days, President Obama will be heading to Ghana perhaps as part of the ‘extending our hand anyone who will unclench their fist’ tour. Well, since the mid 1960’s, Ghana hasn’t have anything worth clenching fists over, except that in the past few years stumbled into huge oil deposits along its shores. For the record, I am in no way suggesting that President Obama is visiting the West African nation simply to work oil deals, but that is a fascinating coincidence nonetheless. The more admirable reason will be to applaud the Ghanaian transition and apparent embrace of democracy. Then again, that is the least suspicious part of my brain speaking.
As I write this, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is on his first visit to Africa, heading a 400-strong business delegation to Nigeria, Namibia, Angola and Egypt. Of course, the Russians make no bones about their economic intentions in Africa. Globalization and global interdependence may have sparked this renewed interest in the African continent but I am not sure how many Africans will revisit the colonial nostalgia, and ask why now, and why here? Either way the Russians are hoping to carve into the Chinese action, and the Americans better get in the action before its too late. Makes sense though, I think.
Somehow the Russians figured out that there still exist a vast land of natural resources which the Africans are sitting around dancing on (no pun intended), and what perfect way to get into the action than show up with your business wise guys? Swarming Africa with investment deals is not unheard of. The Chinese anticipated this trend two decades ago, and proceeded to make friends with every African country from Mali to Sudan. The last time Russia took any genuine interest in Africa, it was the Cold War. Harry Truman and the famous Truman doctrine became the only obstacle for the Russians in turning Africa into a communist continent. Fair to say that the times have changed, and the United States evened the playing field but the uninteresting coincidence is watching the leaders of the two key nations take turns hanging out in Africa. Years ago, the very mention of Africa did illicit images of civil war and the tail end of human civilization. Somewhere along the line, the oil and energy companies of the West discovered what the Chinese had figured out a long time ago, - that the African story is just as complex as it is promising. Any insinuation of Western interests to the famous ‘scramble for Africa’ is an overexaggeration, but not completely unjustified.
Spin it anyway you want, but it is the ‘promise’ of economic resuscitation that is reshaping the African agenda and the sudden appeal to the rich and the powerful.
