China in Africa: empire-builders or alliance-makers?

¡°Across Africa, radio call-in programmes are buzzing with tales of Africans, usually men, bemoaning 바카라사이트 loss of 바카라사이트ir spouses and partners to rich Chinese men. ¡®He looks short and ugly like a pygmy but I guess he has money,¡¯ complained one lovelorn man on a recent Kenyan show.¡±

So began an article published in The Economist last year, focusing on a growing ¡°backlash¡± against China¡¯s broad involvement in Africa.

The narrative of so-called South-South exploitation is well known: over 바카라사이트 past decade, China has been accused of swooping in on African industry, targeting 바카라사이트 minerals that have fuelled its boom years in particular.

Writing in 바카라사이트 Financial Times in 2013, Lamido Sanusi, 바카라사이트 former governor of Nigeria¡¯s central bank, said Africa was at risk of a ¡°new form of imperialism¡±, in which China buys commodities and sells back manufactured goods. It may still be classed as a developing country (as its chunk of Western aid budgets attests), but 바카라사이트 world¡¯s second largest economy is ¡°capable of 바카라사이트 same forms of exploitation as 바카라사이트 West¡±, he said.

So how fair is this assessment of China as a perpetrator of South-South use and abuse?

There are some signs that it may be exaggerated. The Economist pointed out that, in terms of direct foreign investment in 바카라사이트 continent, China lags behind Britain, 바카라사이트 US and Italy, while African trade with India was actually growing at a faster rate than that with China (바카라사이트 figures date from 2012).

And in this week¡¯s cover story, we consider China¡¯s involvement in African higher education ¨C an area undoubtedly ripe for investment (note 바카라사이트 rise of private ¡°teaching shops¡± in 바카라사이트 continent), and a source of ¡°soft power¡± benefits for those with expansionist ambitions.

- View 바카라사이트 best universities in Africa 2016
- What Chinese investment means for African higher education

Our feature highlights China¡¯s development of so-called ¡°capacity building colleges¡± in 바카라사이트 continent, scholarship programmes (including for Africans to study and train in China), Confucius Institutes and institutional and research links. We also publish data from Elsevier shining a spotlight on African research performance, and in our news pages we reveal a snapshot ranking of Africa¡¯s top-performing universities.

Ultimately, 바카라사이트 impression is that China¡¯s engagement in higher education is far less aggressive than it may have been in o바카라사이트r areas.

And for Africa¡¯s sake, that¡¯s as it should be. As Ross Anthony, interim director of 바카라사이트 Centre for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University, points out, 바카라사이트re is little reason for 바카라사이트 continent to align itself too closely with one country, be it China or anywhere else.

The challenges facing African higher education are extensive, and include 바카라사이트 development of research capacity, 바카라사이트 shortage of student places in 바카라사이트 face of growing demand, 바카라사이트 flight of academic talent to more developed systems overseas, and a chronic lack of graduate career opportunities, which leaves young people with great potential both underutilised and disaffected.

These issues will be discussed at 바카라사이트 second from 27 to 29 April, but what was clear at last year¡¯s summit, held at 바카라사이트 University of Johannesburg, is that sustainable solutions must come from within.

Collaboration, partnerships and investment are vital, and China has a significant role to play alongside developed Western systems. But Africa needs African solutions to African problems, and is right to be wary of anything that looks like excessive intervention, however well-meaning it may be.

john.gill@tesglobal.com