The Trouble With Trump's New Africa Strategy

It is no secret that the Chinese aid budget has skyrocketed in the past decade. It has been revealed that Chinese spending on development cooperation between 2000 and 2014 could almost rival that of the #UnitedStates, although most Chinese development funds were provided in the form of loans and, strictly speaking, aid to its developing partners remained modest.

#China’s booming aid has raised global attention and the country has been tagged with terms like 'neocolonialist' and 'rogue donor.' Despite these negative images, Chinese aid might be not as evil as often assumed. A number of rigorous studies - which were notably absent in #MikePence and #JohnBolton’s accusations - have demonstrated that Chinese aid is fairly positive in facilitating the development of recipient nations. If the United States genuinely wants to help #Africa prosper, as claimed by Bolton, it should engage with other donors at play, including China. In the aid realm, no single actor can do everything, must less do everything perfectly.


#WorldEconomy #Economy #Geopolitics #Diplomacy #Politics #ForeignPolicy #InternationalRelations #ForeignRelations #EconomicRelations #EconomicCooperation #AfricanCountries #AfricanContinent #AfricanEconomy #AfricanDevelopment
The Trouble With #Trump's New Africa Strategy
https://thediplomat.com/2018/12/the-trouble-with-trumps-new-africa-strategy/

Donald #Trump’s administration has unveiled its new #Africa strategy, a three-pronged plan focused on furthering US interests and countering the 'great power competitors' of China and Russia. The crux of #JohnBolton's speech singled out Beijing and Moscow’s expanding financial and political influence in Africa. Bolton said the two nations were deepening their reach and investments in the region in the hopes of gaining a 'competitive advantage' over the #US.

#China has financed large-scale infrastructural projects such as railways in countries like #Kenya, factories in #Lesotho and #Namibia, and free trade zones. It also helped #Ethiopia launch its first satellite. China is also exercising major moves as a global military power on the continent, opening up a key military base in #Djibouti and deploying peacekeepers in#SouthSudan, #Mali, and the #DemocraticRepublicofCongo. #Russia has also followed this approach in recent years, signing agreements to establish economic zones and enhancing military and technical cooperation.


#WorldEconomy #Economy #Geopolitics #Diplomacy #Politics #ForeignPolicy #InternationalRelations #ForeignRelations #EconomicRelations #EconomicCooperation #AfricanCountries #AfricanContinent #AfricanEconomy #AfricanDevelopment
The #Trumpadministration’s Africa policy is all about countering China’s influence
https://qz.com/africa/1495859/bolton-unveils-trump-africa-strategy-to-counter-china-russia/

Special Focus

- Africa's Economic Outlook

#Africa   #NorthAfrica   #SubSaharanAfrica   #SubSahara   #AfricanDevelopment   #AfricanEconomy   #AfricaRising    #EconomicOutlook   #EconomicGrowth   #EconomicDevelopment  
http://africaasiaconnect.blogspot.com/2015/06/special-focus-africas-economic-outlook.html

#Businessconfidence in #Africa’s most industrialised economy fell to the lowest in almost 23 years last month and #GDP will probably expand at the slowest pace since the 2009 recession this year, according to forecasts from the government, central bank and the IMF. Without policy reforms and more regulatory certainty to stimulate investment, there is little scope for a turnaround in the country’s growth over the medium-term, according to Jeffrey Schultz, BNP Paribas in Johannesburg. #SouthAfrica needs annual #economicgrowth of 7.2% from 2018 to achieve the government’s targets of reducing the jobless rate to 6% by 2030, according to the World Bank. The unemployment rate was 26.7% in Q1, the highest in at least 8 years.

#WorldEconomy #AfricanEconomy #EconomicOutlook #Economy #EconomicReform #EconomicContraction
#SouthAfricaneconomy shrinks by 1.2% in first quarter of 2016; unemployment hits 8-year high
http://mgafrica.com/article/2016-06-08-south-african-economy-shrinks-by-12-in-the-first-quarter-of-2016

Special Focus

- The Market Integration Challenge (in Africa)

#Africa   #AfricanEconomy   #AfricanDevelopment   #RegionalIntegration   #FreeTrade   #FTA   #EconomicCooperation  
http://africaasiaconnect.blogspot.com/2015/07/special-focus-market-integration.html

The Fashion Lab team discuss the African fashion education curriculum. 

Click on the image to listen to the podcast and what is happening regarding the fashion education in South Africa.

Joining them are special guests Shana Rosenthal who is the founder and Managing Director of LISOF, Felicity Spies who is the owner and Creative Director of EGALITY, as well as up-and-coming fashion designer, Martelle Ludik.

‪#‎FashionLabAF‬ ‪#‎Business‬ ‪#‎Fashion‬ ‪#‎Clothes‬ ‪#‎dress‬ ‪#‎CliffCentral‬ ‪#‎Retrail‬ ‪#‎Africa‬ ‪#‎Johanesburg‬ ‪#‎fashionbusiness‬ ‪#‎fashiondevelopment‬ ‪#‎Africanfashion‬ ‪#‎AfricanEconomy‬ ‪#‎businessdevelopment‬ ‪#‎fashionlabafrica‬ ‪#‎fashionlab‬ ‪#‎LizOgumbo‬ ‪#‎MorwickPietersen‬ ‪#‎NicolaCoope‬ ‪#‎Streaming‬ ‪#‎livestreaming‬ ‪#‎radio‬ ‪#‎onlineradio‬

Follow Fashion Lab Africa on twitter @FashionLabAF

#Fashion   #Fashionbusiness   #Fashiondevelopement  
#Africanfashion‬   #AfricanEconomy‬   #businessdevelopment‬  
#fashiondevelopment‬   #fashionlabafrica‬   #fashionlab‬   #LizOgumbo‬   #MorwickPietersen‬   #Streaming‬   #livestreaming‬   #radio‬   #onlineradio‬  


http://cliffcentral.com/fashion-lab/fashion-lab-28-08-15/

Large-scale investments in #Africaninfrastructure specifically in power, roads and broadband is what can put the continent on the path of double-digit growth, according to eminent economist Jeffrey Sachs.

In order to achieve this, Professor Sachs encouraged African economies to forge partnerships with East Asia, tap into capital markets and strengthen continental bodies such as the New Partnership for Africa’s Development ( #NEPAD) Agency and African Development Bank ( #AfDB).

The NEPAD Agency has identified Africa’s most important infrastructure needs within the context of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa ( #PIDA), which provides the framework to implement 51 priority programmes and projects in the sectors of energy, transport, broadband and trans boundary water.

#Africa   #EconomicGrowth   #EconomicDevelopment   #Economy  
#Infrastructuredevelopment needed for double-digit growth in #Africaneconomy
http://www.africanreview.com/finance/economy/infrastructure-development-needed-for-double-digit-growth-in-african-economy

The top 5 economies of #Africa are #Nigeria, #Egypt, #SouthAfrica, #Algeria and #Angola, representing about 63% of the African GDP. From 2005 till 2015, compared to the US #dollar, the local currencies of these respective countries have depreciated by 47%, 33%, 101%, 37% and 38%.

In 2016, until December – according to data from Trading Economics – the currencies of every country but South Africa depreciated. The Egyptian pound depreciated by more than 130%, the Nigerian naira by nearly 60%, the Angolan kwanza by about 22% and the Algerian dinar by 3.6%. Moreover, there are at least 33 countries in Africa that have their currencies on a depreciation trend against the US dollar.

#Africa #AfricanDevelopment #AfricanEconomy #Economy #Forex #FinancialRisk #AfricanCurrencies
#Africaneconomies threatened by the #USdollar
http://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/us-dollar-putting-africa-risk/

#SouthAfrica’s already battered economy may be the worst affected by Britain’s exit. As it became clear that the UK vote had swung toward leaving, the rand plunged during early morning trading, becoming the worst performing currency after the British pound. As of mid-morning the rand had fallen more than 7%, its steepest single-day decline since the 2008 financial crisis.

Britain’s exit from the EU couldn’t have come at a worst time for #Nigeria, #Africa’s largest economy. At a time when the government is trying to fix an economy on the brink of a recession by removing strict currency controls and also liberalizing oil prices, the immediate effect of #Brexit will test the nerves of Nigeria’s economic managers as global markets plummet.

#AfricanEconomy #AfricanDevelopment #AfricanTrade #SubSaharanAfrica #WestAfrica
Brexit will be terrible for Africa’s largest economies
http://qz.com/715710/brexit-could-be-terrible-for-africas-largest-economies/

Hefty state-led investment has kept the economy of Africa's second most populous nation growing at more than 8% a year for over a decade, but economists say Ethiopia's rulers need to relax their grip and give room for more private enterprise to maintain momentum.

Ethiopia, with average annual per capita income of $470, aims to reach middle-income status by 2025, which the World Bank says starts at $1,046.

For now, even Ethiopian banks have limited room for maneuver. They must invest the equivalent of 27% of their loan portfolio in the development bonds, hindering their ability to lend to the private sector.


#Africa   #AfricanEconomy   #AfricanDevelopment   #AfricaRising   #SubSaharan   #SubSaharanAfrica  
#Ethiopia bets on grand projects in drive for industrial power
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0LC0C320150208