Western and Chinese Influence on African Development

Introduction

Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million square kilometer, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area. With over 1.0 billion people, it accounts for about 15% of the world's human population. Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones.

Sub-Saharan Africa's poverty is one of the most obdurate features of the world economy. For the entire post-Industrial Revolution period, Africa has been the world's poorest region and also its slowest growing. Africa's poor economic growth has been chronic rather than episodic and that’s the reason Africa's growth lagged behind the rest of the world. Many observers at the start of Africa's independence from colonial rule in the early 1960s believed that Africa's long period of slow growth would end once the colonial yoke was removed. This manifestly did not happen, and in fact growth plummeted. African per capita income growth averaged 1.5% in the 1960s, 0.8% in the 1970s, and –1.2% in 1980s. Output per capita continued to decline from 1990 to 1996 at a rate of –0.9% per year. This record of growth is perhaps the greatest single disappointment and surprise of recent African history.

According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), for African countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and continue to sustain that achievement, they will need to invest at least 25 percent of GDP, which calls for higher domestic savings to meet development needs. An increasing number of African countries are beginning to step away from aid dependency, as the domestic private sector becomes the engine of growth across much of Africa. Currently, at least a third of African countries receive aid that is equivalent to less than 10 percent of their tax revenue. They include Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Libya. This is a significant change from years of high dependency on aid. Of Africa’s 54 countries, aid exceeds taxes in only 12 extremely poor countries. Politically stable and democratic countries in Africa such as Tanzania and Madagascar are now raising alternative resources primarily through increased taxation, trade and domestic borrowing.

Western Attitude with respect to Africa

The dialectical inter-phase that occurred during European colonization left Africa wrecked psychologically, economically, culturally, politically and otherwise. In effect, this period saw Africa under colonial bondage, involving socio-political domination, slavery and economic exploitation, racial and cultural devastation. In fact, the colonizers destroyed the philosophical and religious base of Africa and foisted European system as alternative. Colonial experience left two broad “legacies” on Africa: denial of African identity and the foisting of western thought and cultural realities and perspectives on Africans.

Development was conceived basically in this construal such that capitalist west was seen as a model. This view led Africa into conceiving development in terms of replication or imitation of Europe. This wrong concept of development was responsible for the state of Africa since development was construed as a transfer of European economic and technological prowess into Africa. Unfortunately the impacts of the universalistic conception of development were different in Europe as they had a nodal organizing principle of development. This differing effect base led to the lack of a universal conception of development in Africa. The need for a broader conception of development became imperative.

It is amazing that up till now Eurocentric ideas are still prevalent in Africa. In the face of the self recovery or the renaissance movement by some Africans, whatever is rediscovered and called African civilization, are inventions of Europe. This atmosphere has made it conducive for Europeans to subtly manipulate Africans to view the world from European perspectives in all spheres as social, political, developmental, technological, scientific etc. This mentality took sway as even African intellectuals began to reject and deny their own cultural and intellectual achievements. This Eurocentric notion pervades all aspects of life in Africa. Even the consumer behavior tilts more towards European goods and services. This has engendered the alternative for African development to come from Europe. The imperialism bequeathed Africa with two main unforgettable experiences namely the denial of African identity and the tendentious imposition of western thoughts and cultural realities and perspectives. The great achievements of Egyptian thought were largely appropriated as European achievements. Hence, what is today referred to as colonial mentality took sway and Africans took to denying and rejecting their intellectual and cultural prowess. Those who got trapped in Europe and America during the slave trade were consequently made to develop low self esteem.

Afro-centrism

The concept which means African–centeredness was created by Afro-American intellectuals in asserting that Africans should be given their intellectual pride of place as the originators of civilization. Afro-centrism, does not violently confront any person or people, but is a resolute attempt to put the records right. It is about placing African people within their own historical framework. It is a demand that the contributions of Africans in all areas of civilization be reflected in world history. Euro-centrism as a complete dislocation, self-alienation, disorientation and misinformation of the Afro-Americans. It is evident however that the flaming spirit of freedom in Afro-centrism has led some to consider it as a racial ideology.

Chinese Attitude with respect to Africa

Chinese association with African countries began centuries ago. The quest for key resources in Africa targets areas rich in oil, minerals, timber, and cotton, such as Sudan, Angola, Nigeria, and South Africa. Large scale structural projects, often accompanied by a soft loan are proposed to African countries rich in natural resources. China commonly funds the construction of infrastructure such as roads and railroads, dams, ports, and airports. These amenities aid the movement of natural resources back to China, and provide China with leverage to obtain exploration and drilling rights.

France and the UK were once the primary commercial partners in Africa, but China recently became the largest trading partner with the United States ranked 2^nd. Although Africa has seen economic growth through commodity exports to China, experts argue that Chinese exports to Africa as well as Chinese business practices have impeded aspects of African development, but much better than little to no growth coming from the Western Countries.  

China’s assistance is exclusively project based. Projects are mostly part of bigger package deals which include other types of cooperation with the recipient countries. Over the past 50 years China has, assisted African countries with 133 infrastructure projects, 38 hospitals and has dispatched 16 000 medical personnel to Africa. China does not concentrate on specific countries; the recipients include all 53 African countries. Top recipients, according to Chinese scholars, are Angola, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Ethiopia. It is difficult to get aggregated information of the compilation of loans and grants, to which countries and what projects China directs its assistance. China’s development assistance is mostly bilateral. China adheres to the principle of multilateralism in its general political priorities. In particular, China stresses the need to promote the interest of developing countries in the international arena.

African countries partnering with China today are signing with a future world superpower. In Africa, this Chinese alliance provides strong psychological consequences. It provides economic hope and shows African elites an example of success. Chinese investments in key sectors of infrastructure, telecommunication, manufacturing, foods, and textiles radically alter the African continent; the main change will have taken place in African minds. With the recent growth and economic improvement, more Africans students are returning to Africa after studies abroad in order to bring their skills and industry home. With key infrastructure in place, Africa has a future.

Western vis-à-vis Chinese Advantages and Disadvantages

An interesting phenomenon while criticizing China, many experts still acknowledge some contributions China has made in Africa, and even call for cooperation with China in Africa. People have no concrete idea about how, when, where, and what to cooperate. Most of critics focus on the physical level, for example: trade imbalance, investment for natural resources, aid without strings, corporation social responsibility, and so on. All said and done, China has contributed to stabilizing of crisis or emergency situations, the post-conflict reconstruction, and the sustainable development of Africa. China is a valuable trading partner, a source of investment financing, and an important complement to traditional development partners. China is investing massively in infrastructure, which helps alleviate supply bottlenecks and improve competitiveness. By insisting on a non-interference principle, China does contribute to bargaining capability building of African countries. China has served as a development model for Africa and an alternative source of trade and finance from Africa’s traditional development partners.

A key challenge ahead in terms of aid effectiveness is the fact that annual aid figures are not disclosed. There is a need for independent and transparent audit and reporting processes, involving the African countries at the receiving end. In terms of donor cooperation, a main challenge will be to overcome the barriers of suspicion which seem to exist. African countries and their citizens are key in this, as they in the first place are the ones to define what aid effectiveness means in their respective contexts and what kind of assistance donors could provide. China does give assistance to all 53 African countries, not just the 48 it has formal diplomatic ties with. Albeit China does not push for reforms in recipient countries, tied aid is a type of condition China has.

The non-interference policy is deeply rooted in China’s historical experience of western interference and China is therefore careful not to interfere in African countries. The Chinese government is careful not to interfere as it sees its political problems. Also, the principle is based on China’s own experience of being able to develop according to its national context without facing conditionality. Regarding the concern that China supports regimes like those in Zimbabwe and Sudan, which western donors have shunned due to their human rights violations, China’s way is said to be to conduct quiet diplomacy in support of African regional organizations for them to solve their own problems. About Corruption, the Chinese view is that Chinese aid is less afflicted by corruption as the aid is given in kind not in cash.

Conclusion

The search for an authentic model for African development is by no means an easy one.

Development is a holistic evaluation process of the epistemic, cultural, normative, psychological and sociological stance of a group of people. A strong overhaul will make for a stronger hold and technological indices that are seen in the modern times as the hallmarks of development. In making for a rational choice for African development, it will be an exercise in self-conceit and deceit for any of the two opposing ideologies in discourse to ignore the other. Our position is that since there is hardly any idea one can call for a multicultural approach. No sane person will run away from anything that will benefit him, all he has to do is to position him in such a way that he could exchange ideas by barter. All African leaders have to pledge that, they have a collective responsibility to eradicate poverty and ensure sustainable development in Africa.

The international community should help African countries to lift their capabilities and will of developing their economies. Only when a country enjoys economic development gradually, could its government adopt relatively moderate policies catering to backward regions and groups, and have the will and capability to improve the economic situation of the backward regions in the country, to overcome and solve regional conflicts and have the will to cooperate with the international community.