Economy Highlights Politics

African leaders praise Africa-China relations in the U.S.

Kenyan president Uhuru Kennyatta meets with Canadian investors in New York on the sidelines of the 73rd U.N. General Assembly session.
Kenyan president Uhuru Kennyatta meets with Canadian investors in New York on the sidelines of the 73rd U.N. General Assembly session.

BY STEPHANIE JONES

Special U.N. envoy

China has bad press among the civil society across Africa that accuses the natural-resource-hungry Asian giant of engaging in sheer exploitation. To the contrary, African leaders, from Abidjan to Nairobi, via Accra, Kigali, Johannesburg and more, see China’s relationship with the continent as a blessing. President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and his Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Akufo-Addo, gave a perfect demonstration of that favorable sentiment about Beijing during their appearances in the context of the just-concluded 73rd annual session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Chinese investment in Africa has grown immensely over the past decade alone, making Beijing the single largest contributor of foreign direct investment in Africa. During the recently-held Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, President Xi Jinping announced, as expected, a $60-billion-package of financial support to Africa over three years, with the following partial breakdown: $20 billion in credit lines, $15 billion in grants, interest-free loans and concessional loans, and $10 billion in investment financing.

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China’s support to Africa draws criticism from Africans and non-Africans alike who fear unsustainable levels of debts by African nations, which China vehemently defends.

But China is not the only one defending the policy, and indeed the relationship as a whole.

When African leaders come to New York to attend the annual session of the General Assembly, they don’t just fly through New York’s otherwise clogged traffic with security escort and loud sirens to deliver or hear long speeches. They also attend various events benefiting their countries.

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China-Africa relationship came up during one such meeting between President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and Canadian investors. The president stated on the occasion:

“Africa is not just opening its doors to China. China has seen opportunities in Africa. They have seen returns from various sectors. This is what we have been telling our traditional friends.”

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The president also said Africa’s traditional partners, the West, are missing out on valuable opportunities on the continent.

Mr. Kenyatta assured the Canadians about the Kenyan government’s commitment to ethic in doing business, including transparency.

Arguably like music to the president’s ears, the two dozen Canadian business executives present stated their “excitement” to invest in Kenya.

President Akufo-Addo: China no colonial power

Ghana's president Akufo-Addo addresses the 73rd annual session of the U.S. General Assembly in New York.
Ghana’s president Akufo-Addo addresses the 73rd annual session of the U.S. General Assembly in New York.

China is often referred to as the “new colonial power” in Africa. Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo steadfastly rejected that notion in his address to his peers and the world from U.N. headquarters last week.

Akufo-Addo, whose Ghana has a trade relation with China that is over $5 billion— a country he visited earlier last month and signed several cooperation agreements with, said:

“This is not a uniquely Ghanaian or African phenomenon. It has not been lost on us that the developed, rich and well-established countries have been paying regular visits to China and seeking to open new economic ties and improve upon existing ones.”

Mr. Nana Akufo-Addo pointed to what China is best known for in Africa: infrastructure-building.

“We in Ghana must build roads, bridges, railways, ports, schools and hospitals and we must create jobs to keep our young people engaged.”

Mr. Akuf-Addo stated for the whole world to hear his ambition to pull Ghana out of poverty, saying:

“We in Ghana are determined to pull our country out of poverty and into prosperity”

Hitting even harder at the notion that African nations are prey to China’s presumed colonial appetite, the Ghanaian president observed:

“We do not think that a nation needs to remain poor or become poor for others to become prosperous. We believe that there is room and there are enough resources on this planet for us all to be prosperous.”