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Asia Supports Africas Green Revolution
With India being the cradle of the Green Revolution, it is only natural that the nation should offer Africa a hand with its agricultural development. This was only one of several promises made at the India-Africa summit in New Delhi in early April. "India wishes to see the 21st century as the century of Asia and Africa, with the people of the two continents working together to promote inclusive globalization," India’s Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, told the assembled leaders at the historic conference. Ties between India and Africa, however, have a history spanning centuries of trade across the Indian Ocean. Also, a considerable number of Indians have long since settled in Africa, especially in the east and the south of the continent. Likewise, China has a long history of ties with Africa, including some of a more political nature, particularly during the 1970s and 80s. The closer ties in recent years are mainly connected with commercial ventures. India and Africa The first India-Africa summit, on 8–9 April, brought African leaders to New Delhi to discuss a number of issues where cooperation can be increased, including agriculture and food. The president of Tanzania, Jakaya M. Kikwete, pointed out that high food prices will negate efforts designed to achieve faster growth and reduce poverty in Africa. Rising oil and food prices were identified as top concerns during the summit. “India’s interest in Africa should be a long-term engagement, not to exploit the natural resources of the continent, make huge profits and run away,” Kikwete said. India and Africa must acquire the momentum needed to meet all their food needs through domestic production, Manmohan Singh said, pointing to agriculture as an area with huge potential for cooperation between India and Africa and promising to help Africa with technology to increase farm productivity. “I offer Indian assistance in ushering in a Green Revolution in Africa through holistic capacity-building in agricultural production, storage and transportation,” the PM said at the end of the summit. Trade was a key question at the summit, with India offering preferential market access to its vast market, including its market for agricultural commodities – and Indian assistance to achieve food security in Africa and increase Africa’s agricultural exports to world markets, including value added products. India also unveiled plans to double credit lines to the continent in the next five years, and to promote public-private partnerships. The summit agreed on a broad cooperative framework including agriculture, trade, education, governance, the reform of global institutions, and infrastructure. Adopted in the ‘Delhi Declaration’, the ‘Africa-India Framework for Cooperation’, was described as a blueprint for a new vision for cooperation in the 21st century. Rounding off the summit, African Union head Alpha Oumar Konaré said Africa’s aspirations for a partnership on an equal footing had been understood. A second summit is to be held in Africa, in 2011. India had already taken steps to strengthen its contact with Africa through the first Indo-African Agrifood Summit held in Delhi in March 2007 This aimed to enhance the partnership between India and African economies through trade, joint ventures and investments. Its main focus was growth opportunities in African agriculture, food processing and allied sectors, in addition to showcasing Indian expertise in these areas.
China and Africa China and India are by far the most populous countries in the world. With their 2.2 billion inhabitants, they constitute huge markets with strong economic growth craving raw materials as well as outlets for their products. In recent years, China has established itself as a major economic player in Africa, and the Chinese–African collaboration was visibly highlighted by the Sino–Africa summit in Beijing in November 2006. It resulted in loans and credits to Africa, along with a doubling of Chinese aid. Chinese assistance and cooperation has been extended in a number of areas, including agriculture. The Beijing Summit agreed to help Africa develop its agriculture and to provide training and the transfer of technology.
China’s role – its motives and methods – are hotly debated, as indicated by the title of an article in the Asia Times: ‘China: Partner or Predator in Africa?’ China’s growing demand for oil, the authors argue, is one major reason for its interest in Africa. It is also looking increasingly towards Africa as an alternative to the Middle East for its energy needs.
In an article in the March/April 2008 issue of Foreign Affairs, Harry G. Broadman, economic adviser at the World Bank and author of its 2007 publication ‘Africa’s Silk Road: China and India’s New Economic Frontier’, takes a closer look at China’s and India’s interest in Africa. Stating that “Economic activity between Africa and Asia is booming like never before”, the author at the same time notes that the bulk of the rapidly increasing trade and investments is by and large concentrated on a few countries with raw materials to offer. Broadman looks at the different approaches China and India have in Africa, with India tending to establish partnerships and draw on local resources, including manpower, to a greater extent than China.
Japan and Africa Although Japan’s sphere of interest is mainly in East Asia, ties with Africa have been reinforced over the last few years, through both aid and trade. Through its aid organisation, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan is a major player in international development assistance and has strengthened its Africa focus in recent years. In 2008, Japan is hosting two major gatherings relevant to Africa:
At the end of May, the 4th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) is to be held, on the topic of ‘Towards a Vibrant Africa: A continent of Hope and Opportunities’. This was also the theme when Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Masahiko Koumura, paid an official visit to Tanzania in January 2008, launching a new assistance package for Africa. Poverty reduction through economic growth is one of the pillars of TICAD, and the Africa-Asia Business Forum (AABF), which holds its 4th conference in Dar es Salaam in 2007, is one of the instruments, another being the TICAD Exchange. Agriculture and food processing is a sector prioritised by the AABF. 43 African heads of states or governments are expected at the TICAD IV in Yokohama, May 28–30.
At the beginning of July, the annual G-8 summit will be hosted by Japan in Hokkaido Toyako, with global warming as the main topic. In early April, more than 150 representatives from the G-8, African and OECD countries came together for the 10th meeting of the African Partnership Forum (APF) in Tokyo, to discuss key issues affecting development in Africa, ahead of the G-8 summit, including a session on ‘Boosting Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction’.
The G-8 has had Africa high on its agenda in recent years, particularly at Gleneagles in 2005, followed up in St. Petersburg in 2006 with a progress report on Africa, and at Heiligendamm in 2007 with a declaration on Africa. Also in Hokkaido, Africa will feature on the Agenda, and agriculture is expected to be one of the main topics. |
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Asia Supports Africas Green Revolution
