In a powerful oration titled “The Danger of a Single Story”, Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie deplores the damage wrought by common stereotypes of Africa. These are, in her view, deeply destructive of the collective psyche, not mere over-simplifications or misrepresentations of reality. Surely, the influence of the dominant narrative — of a land of catastrophes, conflicts, grinding poverty and, above all, of Africa as one nation rather than a continent of many countries — is already on the wane. Some of these broad questions found expression in the first summit of the United States and leaders from 50 countries of Africa recently to harness the mutual benefits of trade. Africa is among the regions that have come to be recognised for the rapid economic strides and is home to six of the 10 fastest growing countries in the world. China and India have over the past decade or so tapped into the continent’s huge natural wealth through investments in extractive industries, agriculture and infrastructure projects. Whereas the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is the most visible symbol of Beijing’s engagement, the U.S. touts its own Power Africa initiative to boost investments in the energy sector. But China’s expressed intent to collaborate with the U.S. on mega-infrastructure projects in the region presents new dilemmas for Washington, which has for a while remained more circumspect with regard to support for big dams. But Beijing’s expanding financial clout in many parts of the developing world after the global meltdown could force a rethink of such a stance.
African leaders have raised questions concerning transparency and accountability in the operations of Chinese corporations. They have equally been peeved at the U.S. administration, which expects their governments to be more accountable with regard to compliance with human rights norms, a position Beijing derides as hypocritical. The large-scale acquisition of Africa’s fertile agricultural land by overseas investors in the wake of spikes in foodgrain prices added to the anxieties over the implications for domestic markets. Against this complex backdrop, Washington has sought to make a pitch for its own investments in technology and allied sectors by presenting them as potentially more equitable and sustainable ventures. The U.S. also views as being in its favour the absence of post-colonial resentments that tend to mar Africa’s ties with European nations. Hopes are pinned on the extension next year of the 2000 Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which now allows duty-free access to lucrative U.S. markets for textiles and petrochemical products. The U.S. has much catching up to do in Africa, where it trades less than it did before the 2007 crisis.
