All the latest news about Africa's engagement with China, India and other emerging powers. Stories this week include a plan by South Africa for a Cape-to-Cairo trade deal; Attempts by China to block a UN report on Darfur; Attempts by South Sudan to assure China on oil investments; Predictions that Chinese investment in Africa will slow this year and concern by India over Kenya's anti-counterfeit law.
Call for applications- Deadline Extended
Journalist Study Tour to India 2010: FAHAMU Emerging Powers in Africa Programme
The Fahamu Emerging Powers in Africa Programme is pleased to announce a call for applications for its Journalist Study Tour to India. Four successful applicants will be chosen to participate in a 6 day study tour. African media professionals in print, broadcast, radio and online fora throughout Africa are encouraged to apply for this study tour. African lecturers from journalism schools and media programmes on the continent may also apply.
1. Introduction
There is a growing need for independent inquiry and investigation into the engagement of India in Africa from African media sources- this as media coverage has been largely dominated and influenced by Western media reports. This becomes particularly important as Indian corporate interest, aid, bilateral trade and investment in Africa continues to grow. Furthermore, India will host the forthcoming India Economic Summit in November 2010, while the second India-Africa Forum Summit will take place in Africa in 2011 following the first Summit concluded in April 2008 in India. These events will provide important outcomes related to both India and Africa’s development path, with consequences relevant to both Africans and Indians alike. Within this context the need for greater collaboration and interaction amongst African and Indian media will become ever more pertinent.
The Fahamu Emerging Powers in Programme is therefore pleased to announce a call for applications for its Journalist Study Tour to India. Four successful applicants will be chosen to participate in a study tour to India that aims to:
- Strengthen the capacity of African media commentators on India's engagement with Africa
- Facilitate greater understanding of perceptions of India in Africa, and vice versa
- Expand on knowledge amongst African media of India’s political, economic, societal and media landscape
- Create an opportunity for African media organisations and journalism schools to develop long-term relationships, collaborations and exchanges with representatives from Indian media organisations and institutions
- Provide a platform to facilitate the implementation of capacity building projects and greater media coverage amongst African media on India's activities in Africa
- Include greater media participation in discussions and advocacy in India and in Africa about India's role in Africa
- Include visits to various Indian media organisations, associations, research institutes and journalism schools.
2. Call for Applications
Media professionals in print, broadcast, radio and online fora throughout Africa are encouraged to apply for this study tour. Lecturers from journalism schools and media programmes in Africa may also apply. Applicants must:
-Provide frequent reports to their national, regional, or local print media, radio, television channels or online fora on topics related to India's activities in Africa; or lecture at a journalism school or training programme at a higher education institution in Africa
-Have 8- 10 years experience as a journalist or journalism lecturer
-Be fluent in English
-Have a valid passport and comply with their country's visa criteria for travel to India.
The following costs will be reimbursed:
- Return ticket, economy class to India
- Accommodation in India for the duration of study tour,
- Visa costs,
- Meals and transport for duration of study tour.
The study tour will take place in November 2010.
Applications close on 5 November 2010
3. Requirements
All applications are to be submitted electronically and must include:
- A current resume including professional work history
-A 500 word article on a topic that is currently relevant to the India-Africa engagement
-A brief proposal in English outlining a story you wish to cover in Africa related to Africa-India relations and that will be of interest to your target audience
- A letter of recommendation from your organisation head/faculty head . If journalist applicants are not employed directly through a media organisation, please provide a letter of support from the organisation to which you are affiliated, including your relationship to the organisation
- A letter, signed by your (affiliate) organisation or faculty head, motivating how participation in the study tour will benefit your professional work and the work of your organisation. This should include an action plan detailing how your experience in India will be incorporated into further capacity building and knowledge development within your organisation/journalism school in the three months following completion of the study tour
- Provide samples of three or four professional pieces of written work/manuscripts that have been printed or broadcast in the last 12 months; or an outline of courses taught if a lecturer in a journalism school/programme.
-Please ensure that all documents are compressed and/or zipped in compressed files to ensure all applications can be uploaded.
4. Concluding Remarks
A contract will be signed by participants requiring the following obligations to be met following conclusion of the tour:
- Produce a commentary piece for the Fahamu Emerging Powers in Africa Newsletter based on their experience in India incorporating topical issues related to Africa-India relations
- Make regular contributions on civil society issues for publication in the Fahamu Emerging Powers in Africa Newsletter
- Provide a follow up report detailing the implementation and outcomes of a capacity building activity completed through the participants (affiliate) organisation or journalism school within three months of completing the study tour.
Please direct all queries and applications to:
Ms Hayley Herman
Programme Officer
Emerging Powers in Africa Programme
Email: [email protected]
General
Uganda: Pay the Tax Money Or Get Out
It was an act of greed that "flabbergasted" even the President himself. Wildcat oil explorer Heritage got paid US$1.5 billion (Approx. Shs 3.5 trillion or half Uganda's 2010/11 national budget) for its shares in Uganda's oil fields by former partner Tullow and then skipped town without paying taxes. In a letter to Energy Minister Hilary Onek seen by The Independent, President Yoweri Museveni expresses his rage at the audacity of Heritage, which invested a paltry US$150 million in the venture, not paying its tax. Museveni is angry that Heritage refused to contribute just 30 percent of its earnings to the nation's underdeveloped economy, despite a 966 percent profit on the sale.
World Bank study suggests ways to increase African farm output
The World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) has released its report into world farming techniques and has suggested ways for African farmers to improve growth. The “Growth and Productivity in Agriculture and Agribusiness: Evaluative Lessons from World Bank Group Experience” report has drawn on the World Bank Group’s experience in supporting agricultural growth in the past decade. The report points to areas where increased funding can translate into higher impact.
SA moots Cape-to-Cairo trade deal
African countries need to boost regional trade and investment to keep pace with growth in other emerging economies that have large consumer bases, such as India and China, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said on Monday. Davies, in Cairo for a high-level, bilateral state visit to the continent's second biggest economy, said Egypt and South Africa were trying to seal a Cape-to-Cairo free trade agreement that could help reduce dependence on flagging European economies. "The fact of the matter is we don't as single countries begin to touch the sizes of the domestic market of China and India, but as a grouping from Cape-to-Cairo we do start to hit that league," Davies said.
China in Africa
Zambian miners shot by Chinese managers
Police said that the Chinese executives opened fire on workers protesting against poor pay and conditions at the Collum coal mine in the southern Sinazongwe province on Friday. Eleven people were admitted to hospital with wounds to the stomachs, hands and legs, and two are understood to remain in a critical condition. A Foreign Ministry official in Beijing said that the shooting was a "mistake" but the incident has fuelled demands to curb China's overwheening position in mine investments. The Patriotic Front, a leading opposition party, is campaigning for elections next year on platform of restricting Chinese investment until conditions are improved.
Zambia: Don’t be xenophobic against Chinese – SACCORD
Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) has urged Zambians not to become xenophobic against Chinese nationals following the shooting incident of workers at a Chinese owned Coal mine in Southern Province. SACCORD informationa officer Obby Chibuluma said the incident that happened last week was not a true reflection of all Chinese nationals’ character, adding that there were many other Chinese investors that respected the Zambian labor laws. “There are some Chinese who are friendly and have respect for people, they respect labor laws, so that was not the reflection of the Chinese people in Zambia, it was just a few bad eggs that are tarnishing the name of the Chinese people. He urged Zambians to remain calm and peaceful and allow the law to take its course.
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China 'trying to block publication of UN Darfur report'
Beijing is trying to prevent the release of a report which says Chinese bullets have been used against Darfur peacekeepers, unnamed UN diplomats say. The report is being discussed by a United Nations committee which monitors sanctions against Sudan, including an arms embargo on Darfur. Beijing says it is vaguely worded and full of flaws. Ceasefires and peace negotiations have failed to end the conflict in the volatile western Sudanese region. The report says that a dozen different brands of Chinese bullet casings have been found in Darfur, some at sites where attacks on UN troops took place.
SA worried about Chinese relations – analysts
Political analysts said on Friday the South African government may be avoiding congratulating the Nobel peace prize winner because of its ties with China. Liu Xiaobo – who is serving an 11-year jail sentence for subversion – won the Nobel peace prize for his decades of promoting democratic change in China. He won the award last week and there has been no message from South Africa to congratulate him yet – despite doing this with previous winners.
Home Affairs minister in China
Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini arrived in China on Saturday to highlight South Africa's vibrant economy at an expo, her office said. The country's participation in the Shanghai expo, which opened in May, was to show that its economy was open for business, Dlamini-Zuma said in a statement.
Chinese abandon Nedbank bid
Chinese financial services giant HSBC will not proceed with a partial offer for Nedbank following the expiry of the agreed exclusivity period, Old Mutual said. "Consequently Old Mutual is no longer in discussions with HSBC concerning its shareholding in Nedbank," the insurer, who is the majority owner of Nedbank, said in a statement.
Standard Bank offers Africa yuan bank accounts
South Africa's Standard Bank is offering clients across the continent yuan bank accounts for trade with China, a sign of the Chinese currency's emergence as a global commercial currency. "Trade with China and Africa has seen massive growth in the last decade and Standard Bank, with its African roots, is uniquely placed to assist in the two-way trade flows between China and Africa," its China chief executive, Craig Bond, said. The ability to transact in yuan applies to all of the 17 countries where Standard Bank, the continent's largest bank by assets, has a presence and reduces companies' exposure to fluctations in the value of the dollar, the company added.
South Sudan tries to assure China on oil investments
South Sudan vowed on Friday that China’s huge investments in its oil sector would remain safe, whatever the outcome of the region's January 9 independence referendum. Pagan Amum, secretary general of the south’s ruling Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM), said ties between Beijing and the south were "very good," following talks with a delegation of senior leaders from China’s ruling Communist Party.
Thousands get free health care in ‘floating hospital’
The crew, which leaves the port of Mombasa tomorrow, has been doing an average of six operations, 80 physical examinations, 110 dental check-ups, 35 CT scans, 200 DR examinations, 240 ultra sound cases and 170 heart check-ups per day. The medical team also visited the Ziwani School for the deaf, Tom Mboya School for Cerebral Palsy, the Mji wa Salama Children’s home and did physical examination on 243 children, 30 of whom were taken to the ship for further treatment.
Where others fear to tread
FOR anyone seeking proof of the extent of China’s reach into Africa, this year’s graduation ceremony for executive MBA students at the partly state-run China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai would have been a good place to start. Alongside the predominantly Asian faces delightedly collecting their degrees were 30 Ghanaians and 12 Nigerians—the inaugural cohort on CEIBS’s Africa programme. The programme, which kicked off in Accra, the capital of Ghana, in early 2009, is one of the first offered by a renowned international school in sub-Saharan Africa. Alongside the executives from both local and international companies were a smattering of governmental types, including a Ghanaian MP and a high court judge. Virtually all had met the programme’s $30,000 cost from their own pockets.
China investment in Africa to slow this year: Ministry
Chinese investment in African countries will grow at a slower pace this year because of an uncertain economic outlook in the region, the Commerce Ministry said on Thursday. The slowdown should only be temporary, and Beijing aims to invest in a wider range of industries on the continent, including new energy, financial services and manufacturing, said Zhong Manying, head of the ministry's West Asia and Africa department. Zhong did not provide any investment growth data for comparison. Chinese direct investment in Africa totalled $9.3 billion as of the end of 2009, according to the commerce ministry.
China-Africa trade volume set to hit new record high this year: report
The bilateral trade volume between China and African countries in 2010 is expected to exceed the record high of 106.8 billion U.S. dollars attained in 2008, said a report released Thursday by a research institute under the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC). First published this year, the China-Africa Trade and Economic Relationship Annual Report said China-Africa trade declined from the beginning of 2009 before it returned to growth last November, thanks to the rebounding world economy.
Sino-Eritrean trade ties strengthened
As the African nation's preferred commodity partner, China is playing a key role in Eritrea's socioeconomic development through the supply of aid, capital, machinery, technology, knowledge and skills. Chinese enterprises and equipment are also widely involved in the rebuilding of vital infrastructure such as roads, airports, power and telecommunications, schools and hospitals. "Our priority has been the creation of a good climate for investment and development," said Afewerki, who took office in 1993 as head of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ).
India in Africa
India Offers Training, Revenue Guarantees in Bid to Capture Zimbabwe Diamonds
Defending its position as top global diamond polisher against an emerging challenge by China, India has offered to train young Zimbabweans in diamond cutting and polishing in return for a guaranteed flow of Marange diamonds. Zimbabwe's Marange diamond field in the east of the country has generated much controversy in the West based on allegations of human rights abuses and illicit dealings in rough diamonds, but China and India are in hot competition for preferential rights to cut and polish the precious stones coming out of the Southern African country.
Indian firms find Africa fertile ground for contract farming
State-owned trading firm MMTC Ltd, the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (Iffco) and the conglomerate Bharti Enterprises plan to join the growing number of Indian entities engaged in commercial farming in Africa. Cheap land and labour costs in Africa are attracting a number of Indian firms with interest in agriculture. A large number of people in East African countries such as Kenya work in the cultivation of tea, coffee, corn, vegetables, sugarcane, wheat and fruits, among other things.
India concerned over Kenya''s anti-counterfeit law
India today conveyed its concerns to Kenya over its Anti-Counterfeit Act which confuses Indian generic medicine, hailed worldwide for affordability, with counterfeits. India's apprehensions were conveyed by visiting Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma when he met Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga. Sharma highlighted Indian pharmaceutical industry's contribution to making available life-saving medicines at affordable prices, especially through generic route.
Bhel plans to make transformers in Kenya
State-run power equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Bhel) plans to set up a transformer manufacturing plant in Kenya in a joint venture with the Kenyan government, as part of India’s growing engagement with Africa. In addition, India has also offered to help Kenya put in place a standards and labelling programme for electrical equipment and an energy conservation building code. At the recent sixth meeting of the joint trade committee (JTC) in Nairobi, India also proposed developing port, airport, road and railway infrastructure in Kenya by state-owned Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), a subsidiary of Indian Railways.
Egypt rolls out the red carpet for India’s healthcare players
Egypt, one of the largest markets for healthcare in Africa, wants players from countries such as India to tap its booming potential. Rachid Mohamed Rachid, minister of trade and industry and acting minister of investment, government of Egypt, says investments will be aggressively sought in sectors such as healthcare and the country’s population of 80 million implies tremendous opportunity. “We want to make healthcare in Egypt more organised. Hence we would provide access to accreditation to foreign service providers, easy licences, attractive pricing policies, etc.” said Rachid.
India, South Africa to team up on HIV vaccine research
India and South Africa will launch a joint research project on basic science and vaccines for HIV strains common to both countries. The project was formally approved by the governments of both countries last spring and is expected to be launched by the end of 2010. Virander Chauhan, director of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, told SciDev.Net that the five-year, US$1 million dollar project will involve around five research groups from each country with core competence in basic and HIV vaccine research.
Zuma and the Guptas
The revelation that a company partly owned by one of the Gupta brothers, Rajesh, bought a R4-million mansion for President Jacob Zuma's son, Duduzane, raises more questions over the cosy relationship between the wealthy family and that of the head of state.
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In Other Emerging Power News
PetroSA and Angola's Sonangol eye oil joint venture
Angolan state-owned oil firm Sonangol and South Africa's PetroSA are considering setting up a joint-venture to build and manage refineries, Angola's oil ministry said in a statement. The announcement was made after a South African delegation, led by Energy Minister Dipuo Peters, met with Angola's Oil Minister Jose Botelho de Vasconcelos in Luanda earlier this week, Angola's oil ministry said. "Both parties are considering the possibility of creating a joint venture between Sonangol and PetroSA for the construction and management of refineries and terminals of petroleum products," the oil ministry said.
Zambia launches $380 million dollar copper mine project
Zambian President Rupiah Banda on Thursday inaugurated a new 380-million-dollar copper mine project, a joint venture between mining companies from Brazil and South Africa. Brazilian company Vale and South Africa's Africa Rainbow Minerals (ARM) are to construct the new Konkola North mine in Chililabombwe, in the country's Copperbelt region. Zambia is southern Africa's largest copper producer. The mine is expected to become operational in two years, with the annual output expected to be around 45,000 tons of copper, contributing to a nationwide production target of 1 million tons by 2013, presidential spokesman Dickson Jere said.
Zuma demands direct African flights
Africa needs better road, air and sea transport to realise the dream of a Cape-to-Cairo free trade zone and reduce dependence on European markets, officials from the continent's two biggest economies said on Tuesday. Hundreds of Egyptian and South African businessmen were meeting in Cairo as part of a high-level state visit that included President Jacob Zuma, aimed at bolstering currently weak trade ties between the two countries.
Blogs, Opinions, Presentations and Publications
Why China should keep off Gibe III
It is quite alarming that a couple of Chinese businesses have already dipped their fingers into the controversial Gilgel Gibe III dam project. It is normally not good news when the Chinese get involved in anything in Africa. The reputation that precedes the Chinese in Africa is that they do not care much for the consequences of their projects - as long as they get what they came for. Their entry into the Gibe III fray should awaken all of us who care about Lake Turkana, its environment, and its people as well as the entire Lower Omo basin.
Shyam Saran: India in the UN Security Council
For the many enthusiastic votaries of the ongoing Commonwealth Games (CWG), one compelling argument advanced was that India’s ability to plan and execute, with visible success, a complex, large-scale and multinational event, would, among other benefits, burnish its credentials to eventually host the International Olympics. The Games commenced with an impressive inaugural event and were handled with commendable efficiency, but the chaos and veritable panic that preceded them, makes it difficult to believe that the Olympics could be trusted to India. At least, certainly not in the foreseeable future. In a somewhat different context, India is set for another preview of its performance, this time its ability to deliver on its role as a major regional and global player on the international stage. India has been elected with an overwhelming majority to a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for a two-year term in 2011 and 2012, after a gap of 20 years. Its previous term was in 1990-92 and it had failed in its attempt to get re-elected in 1996.
Podcasts, Reviews and Interviews
Chinese Relationship and Marriage Customs in Africa
In this edition of the “China in Africa” podcast, Sino-Zambian relations scholar Solange Guo Chatelard details why traditional Chinese marriage and relationship customs are critical to understanding the social glue that binds the Chinese diaspora in Africa. While it goes without saying that immigrants of all kinds bring along their social customs, Chatelard explains that in Africa there are unique challenges confronting Chinese immigrants that often frustrate their ability to easily replicate longheld relationship, courtship and marriage customs.
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