Sunday, June 13, 2010

Rightly Put, Sarkozy

President Nicolas Sarkozy, rounding off a two-day France-Africa summit in Nice earlier this month, said this:


 "Africa's formidable demographics and its considerable resources make it the main reservoir for world economic growth in the decades to come."


Without proper institutions and a firm rule of law it will continue to be very easy to dip in to that reservoir and take as much as you like. China is getting it done, that is for sure. If you think this old map is striking, I imagine one from today would have a lot more red.



A lot has been written about China propping up dictators and breaking UN sanctions while on their way to establishing good relations across the continent. One thing is certain: they don't discriminate on any moral grounds. They put their money where it will be sure to yield significant returns.  

I took this photo on the Mombasa road in Kenya:


I wonder what favours these nice roads are buying? Sweetened trade deals? Mining rights? Exclusive access to markets?

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