The decades when the continent couldn’t raise major funds on ordinary commercial markets are over, but there are still worries about over-indebtedness. by Sanou Mbaye The nations of sub-Saharan Africa, in the post-independence euphoria of the 1960s, wanted to end the international division of labour under which they exported raw materials and imported manufactured goods. … [Read more...] about Africa borrows on the open market
Angola
Liberating Africans from the CFA “franc” trap
Nowadays, African countries are wooed because they are perceived as the spearheads of the world economy. The Economist, the English weekly newspaper, predicts that in the next five years, seven out of ten fastest growing economies in the world will be in Africa: Ethiopia (8.1 per cent), Mozambique (7.7 per cent), Tanzania (7.2 per cent), Congo (7.0 per cent), Ghana (7.0 per … [Read more...] about Liberating Africans from the CFA “franc” trap
Regulating China-Africa cooperation imbalances
Oxford University China-Africa Network The Oxford University China-Africa Network (OUCAN) with the support of the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) present The Conference on "Chinese Investment and African Agency" hosted by the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford 11-12 March 2011 Regulating China-Africa cooperation … [Read more...] about Regulating China-Africa cooperation imbalances
Chinese and African Perspectives on China in Africa
This new book in the Pambazuka Press 'China and Africa' series explores China's deepening engagement in Africa from the rarely heeded perspectives of African and Chinese civil society organisations. Description The deepening engagement of China in Africa since the end of the cold war has led to debates about the evolving nature of this relationship. Yet the focus of analysis … [Read more...] about Chinese and African Perspectives on China in Africa
Africa ‘s Oil Rush
It takes a threat to oil supplies to get world leaders to pay attention to Africa . Usually neglected by globetrotting statesmen, the continent recently saw visits from US President George W. Bush, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Brazil 's Lula Da Silva, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and many other world leaders. Their public comments were typically devoted to development, … [Read more...] about Africa ‘s Oil Rush
The African Union : A need to go back to the drawing board
Background The yearning for regional cooperation and economic integration in Africa was born in the United States within the pan-African movement in the 19th Century and has been kept alive ever since among the masses, the elite and the members of the Diaspora. This hope is so compelling that all African leaders have felt obliged to put it heartedly or opportunistically on … [Read more...] about The African Union : A need to go back to the drawing board
How best can the EU support the new AU Key Questions for Contact Person
Background The yearning for regional cooperation and economic integration in Africa was born in the United States within the pan-African movement in the 19th Century and has been kept alive ever since among the masses, the elite and the members of the Diaspora. This hope is so compelling that all African leaders have felt obliged to put it heartedly or lukewarmly on their … [Read more...] about How best can the EU support the new AU Key Questions for Contact Person
NEPAD : the wrong plan ?
NEPAD, the last plan to kick-start Africa's economic development adopted by the OAU in Lusaka (Zambia) on July, 11, 2001, is articulated around investment in the key sectors of infrastructure, agriculture, health and education. The plan is to be financed by the international community and through private capital flows, mainly from the multinationals. In choosing this way of … [Read more...] about NEPAD : the wrong plan ?
Sub-Saharan Africa on the Sidelines, A false economic dawn?
After the collapse of the Mobutu regime Zaire, now renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been left stripped of resources, in spite of the mineral wealth being eyed covetously by foreign investors. Elsewhere, the International Monetary Fund's figures point to a significant improvement in sub-Saharan Africa. However, imposing structural adjustment, privatisation and … [Read more...] about Sub-Saharan Africa on the Sidelines, A false economic dawn?
