China on top in the scramble for Africa

International attention seems like manna from heaven, but China's approach has proved to be the preferred model

Africa has become the continent of choice for the international community. Asia has in recent times shown immense interest in the continent.

China's deep investment and willingness to get involved with Africa has been a driving force in attracting investment from other countries. It has also highlighted the attraction of working with Africa, creating a win-win situation for those involved and dispelling notions of Africa as a dark continent.

This has led to a lot of benefits for Africa, including industrialization, acquiring better health services and facilities, improved job opportunities and increased tourism, largely boosted by hosting various international conferences. The two major conferences on the Asian continent are the Forum on Africa-China Cooperation (FOCAC) and the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).

However, Africa is not just the center of attention but also a place for countries to flex their muscles in demonstrating supremacy. A clear message for the continent is that it should not put all its eggs in one basket.

The FOCAC meeting is a forum organized by the Chinese, and TICAD by the Japanese. The latter was recently held for the first time in Africa but FOCAC has held forums in Ethiopia, Egypt and South Africa.

FOCAC has addressed its issues with Africa based on its experience and its recent meeting was a give-and-take forum. Each forum has used feedback to make improvements. This time it heeded calls for the issue of security to be discussed. It offered cooperation on security, economics, social development and culture, as well as political cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

TICAD's forum shifted its focus from a government-led approach to focus more on private-sector investment. This came about because of feedback from the fifth TICAD meeting, reflecting Japan's desire to accelerate Africa's growth and exports. This is crucial for Japan, given China's economic might on the Asian continent through promoting Africa growth and trade. TICAD offered a high-quality economic and social infrastructure and an Africa that is strong and able. It was similar to FOCAC's commitment but with a tweak to make it more enticing to Africa.

It is prudent to recognize that a more Africa-based approach emanated from the inception of Japan's TICAD forums. Although the idea was borrowed by the Chinese, they seem to have perfected the art, as FOCAC has more to show for it in terms of implementation, compared with TICAD.

This is not to say that Japan isn't doing anything of importance in Africa, but its bringing TICAD to Africa demonstrates its realization that China is adopting its idea and perfecting it.

China's expression of openness and genuineness in its relations with Africa - and demonstrating the need to attain a more Africa-based approach with all its support in the continent - required a forum which would exchange ideas and feedback on how to improve relations for the benefit of the African continent, including addressing pertinent issues such as security. This was a different and unique approach for African states, which were able to have a genuine exchange forum with a foreign investor in which their own interests were paramount.

China's efforts to limit the traditional "superiority" in the relationship between donor and receiving country, as well as offering direction on how to invest or utilize the money, had the effect of breaking down barriers to gain trust. It is a very clever way of getting the most from its investments and also leaving behind a worthwhile legacy.

In the early days, this was criticized. In a bid to retain the status quo, the international community sought to influence Chinese relations with Africa. Realizing the Chinese were serious in their commitment to Africa, and recognizing their achievements within the continent, a more sympathetic attitude started to emerge.

China has learned from experience and perfected its dealings with Africa. As much as Africa would like to interpret all this international attention as manna from heaven, it should view it as a show of might in which the Chinese approach has proved to be the preferred model.

It has been adapted so that Africa has as much to gain as China.

The author is the coordinator of the China-Africa Relations Program at the Africa Policy Institute and a master's Student at the University of Nairobi's Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/25/2016 page11)