EMPIRE: The New Scramble for Africa

[thegoodshepherd]

African countries can develop much faster if they pool their resources. Groups like ECOWAS and IGAD have the potential to facilitate large scale infrastructure investment. The Integration of entire regions would not only speed up development, it would be more efficient than going it alone.
Africans must stop seeing the artificial borders erected by the colonial powers.

[original dervish]

Qaddafi (aun)....was the greatest proponent of independent African development.
That was the main reason he was killed and Libya destroyed.

[LiquidHYDROGEN]

The problem really is that infrastructure is incredibly expensive, and the average African country is simply too poor to afford it. A multi lane highway or rail network costs billions of dollars, in some cases more than the entire GDP of the country involved.

Even rich western countries have trouble funding infrastructure projects, the US has a crisis with aging infrastructure with no money to replace it.

The US is different. The US has the money, despite huge debt ironically, to build infrastructure from here to the moon. Their problem is political stagnation and lack of will. Each party is trying to obfuscate and sabotage the policies of the other so much you have a zero sum game where nothing get's done. Hence US poor standards in education, healthcare, living standards when compared with the leading OECD nations.

African countries do have the finances to build roads and highways, but it's a matter of corruption and a lack of change that is the real reason for the lagging behind. Building 2-3 major highways connecting major towns and cities would cost a few billion but the increase in businesses, economic activity and movement of goods/money/services will mean n the long-term the country would be much much better for it. The same can be said about education and healthcare in those countries. Right now all the money is either going to white elephant projects or being embezzled and finding it's way into foreign bank accounts. Self-sufficiency is also not on the agenda. Providing cheap and relibale power/electricity which would again be expensive but invaluable in the long run is not even being discussed.

[Classiq]

He pushed for a African currency and was hunted down like a animal. They lied and said people were protesting in your country and there is rebels but it was no protesters and the rebels were al-Qaeda with new american weapons.The world didnt say shit wallahi may he be granted into jannah all he did was want good for his country and his continent.

I have a poster of that guy in my house lol i am a big fan of him.

[Estarix]

The recent African US summit (which bought around 50 heads state) where Obama discussed improvements in trade and pledged $33 Billion. Its seen as an attempt to challenge China's influence. Obama makes important but also hypocritical statement in regards to chinese African economic relations.

"in an interview with the London-based Economist magazine, the US president said that governments should be cautious as to effect of Chinese investment in Africa, saying that the African governments can negotiate a good deal whoever they're partnering with."



"During the US-Africa Leaders Summit, Obama also stated that Chinese investment in Africa is aimed at securing resources in the region. He said that any agreement aimed at acquiring access to Africa's natural resources is unlikely to benefit the African partner in the long run"

"Obama advised African leaders to make sure that if China is constructing roads and bridges in their countries, it should first hire an African workforce. He also said African governments should shape how infrastructure is going to benefit them in the long term."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"China began investing in Africa during the 1990s and replaced the United States to become the continent's largest trading partner in 2009."

"Bilateral Sino-African trade has broken the US$21 billion mark, compared with US$85 billion in US-Africa trade."

"The United States remains the largest investor in Africa, however, and most of its capital has been invested in the development of oil and gas resources, rather than in infrastructure construction, manufacturing and economic and trade cooperation."

"In terms of financial aid to Africa, China insists on the principle of no interference in the internal affairs of African nations, nor does it rule out technology transfer, and it maintains there are no political conditions attached to extending financial aid to the continent."

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subc ... 0812000125

Personally i think that both can be a liability and the Chinese hardly invest in local manpower and long term projects. What the people need is know-how, Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

[jalaaludin5]

I am biased ( I think ismail Cumar Ghelle is the last great Somali leader standing). I view the majority of the Djiboutians as somalis. When I meet Djiboutians, our conversation is on Somalis. We rarely have a conversation outside the realm of Somalinimo. There are, however, some of them who also believe that France is a great nation and that she won the Second World War under the leadership of Charles De Guelle. As always, their vocabulary contains badly pronounced French words and some of them act showy by imitating the french in every aspect. But, nothing compared to French West Africa.

I have to strongly disagree. For the vocabulary and pronunciation your dead wrong. Real Djiboutian who were born and bread in Djibouti and attended school speak French with the proper pronunciation that gives natives speakers raised eyebrows. Obviously you will find the few people who over do it and try too hard but that's not the majority.

And as for believing France won the Second World War....well, they did win the war..lol

Your right about the soomalinimo and as Caesar said...they haven't got a qori up their ass.

[SayyidUmar]

There will always be a 'Scramble for Africa' as long as their is abundance of natural resources in the continent.
God gave Africans natural resources, but he gave the White man (Europeans) the knowledge to acquire these resources.
Allah waa cadaali.