Africa Works

A number of newspapers in Asia are carrying an essay I wrote recently for Project Syndicate, which commissions pieces from illustrious thinkers (I am the exception) about world affairs. A brief persual of the web this morning shows papers in Pakistan, Japan, Taiwan, Egypt and Malaysia carrying the article, which argues that many critical needs in Africa are being met and will be met going forward by Indians and Chinese. The origins of the article came on a trip to Rwanda, where I met an California telecom executive who marveled over how far the Chinese have become major suppliers of electronic and wireless technologies to Africa. I’d long noted the influence of Indians in Africa, so I put the two together to create a new “frame” for viewing Africa’s present and future. Maybe Africa is no longer a “white man’s burden,” not because we have been persuaded by NYU professor William Easterley to abandon the continent, but rather because Chinese and Indians have supplanted (or will) Westerners in the task of “saving” Africa. The irony is delicious, and the practical implications enormous. While Westerners debate amongst themselves whether foreign-aid to Africa helps or hurts — a debate, I think, is increasingly irrelevant — Indians and Chinese are pragmatically (if not always effectively) engaging Africa. Quite a historical reversal in any case. For some deeper musings on the historical echoes from my new article, see the ever-perceptive Future Now blog, penned by Alex Pang.