Africabeat

(I am kicking myself for missing this since I happen to be in Kampala now):

KAMPALA, June 29 (Reuters) – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni called on rich and middle-income nations on Friday to stop wasting Africa’s time with aid pledges and instead open their markets to African products.

Fair trade campaigners say rich nations such as the United States and European Union countries give aid with one hand whilst refusing to cut subsidies and tariffs with the other, making it impossible for poor countries to compete. "The Europeans waste a lot of our time coming here talking about aid," he said. "We told them: if you talk about aid, I go to sleep. What we need is market access — open your markets to our products." Billions of dollars of aid pumped into Africa in the past 30 years has sparked debate over whether money was wasted.

Museveni was speaking at a meeting on India-Africa trade in Kampala, hosting delegates from African countries and 30 Indian multinationals investing on the continent.

Read more at Reuters AlertNet

Did you know that Ethiopia once "looked East"…to Japan.  Or that in Madagascar, an early attempt to gain independence was prompted not by Western  liberalism, but by a desire to pursue Japanese-style economic development?

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Does the U.S. have military designs in Africa?

Beyond
oil, U.S. military officials have cited "a growing terrorist threat" in
northern and sub-Saharan Africa to justify a program of stepped up
military engagement in the region. General James Jones, head of the
U.S. European command, has suggested the need to create a "family of
bases" across Africa that would range from forward operating locations
that would include an airfield and facilities to house 3,000 to 5,000
U.S. military personnel to "bare-bones" bases that U.S. Special Forces
or Marines could "land at and build up as the mission required." (See
Eric Schmitt, "Threats and Response; Expanding U.S. Presence: Pentagon
Seeks New Access Pacts for African Bases," New York Times, July 5,
2003). These new facilities would not be considered "formal" bases like
the growing U.S. base in the Horn of Africa in Djibouti, which has a
regular deployment of 1,800 to 2,000 troops stationed there. While new
basing arrangements are being worked out, a major increase in U.S.
military exercises and training missions throughout Africa will be used
to sustain a regular U.S. presence. (From "Militarization of U.S. Africa Aid: 2000-2005")

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In an October 23rd interview (Fr) with Les Echos, World Bank president, Paul Wolfowitz, sharply criticized China’s lending policy in Africa.

(South Africa Insurance Times & Investment News has an English language recap of the interview):

The World Bank president has attacked China over its
foreign policy in Africa, deeming it irresponsible and capable of
pushing African countries back into their huge debt build-up cycles.

In a scathing interview with
newspaper Les Echos in Paris, sister paper of the Financial Times, the
president of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz, has denounced Chinese
lending to Africa as irresponsible and accused the country of ignoring
universal human rights and environmental standards when setting up loan
portfolios with Africa.

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