On China: The Buck Stops with African Leadership

A review of the article titled China and Africa: economic growth and a non-transformative political elite by Obert Hodzi

Hodzi (2018) article titled “China and Africa: economic growth and a non-transformative political elite” puts the blame for Africa’s development challenges or failure to do so at the doorsteps of the corrupt political elite. The article aims at challenging perceptions that China is actually developing the African continent, that the coming of the Chinese has enhanced sovereignty in the developing world and finally indirectly tackles what it would take to bring about progress in this post-colonial era.

Before delving into state capture by the elite which provides a basis for what the article argues about, Hodzi bemoans what he refers to as the portrayal of Africa as a passive recipient of development models prescribed to her by the so called benevolent foreign powers. Africa is therefore looked at as a burden for others to fix and all is required is for her to fit into the parameters set forth first by the colonial masters and now by the Chinese. With such a background, the author endeavors to put focus on the agency of political elites as determinants of their countries’ fate.  It is these elites, because of the nature of the African states which in reference to Mazrui are described as weak due to less government leading to anarchy and too much of government leading to authoritarianism, have benefited from a lack or incapacitation of institutions that can hold them accountable. 

The coming of China coincided with both Western institutions and donor countries putting strict conditions for aid especially after the end of the Cold War. Although this has been hailed as some sort of freedom from the West, it has simply changed dependency from former colonial masters to China if not the two at the same time as the elite in Africa gobble up more debt to strength their hold on power and feed their cronies. What has remained constant as the author puts it, is that Africa continues to depend on export of raw materials and import of manufactured goods which is a disadvantage to a continent that wants to be at par with the developed world. There are also cases where China has funded projects for political and not developmental purposes by targeting the backyard of those in power at the expense of public good.

Finally, the author somehow whether intentionally or unintentionally brings out the need to strengthen institutions to check the power of the elite in determining development projects so that they are not intended to benefit incumbent governments and their associates. There is also a call for proper management of debt as well as economic transformation which is essential for industrial and human development so that revenues can be used to boost high investment and not current consumption. Hodzi makes it clear that It does not make sense to continue blaming Western neo-colonial domination for lack of development in Africa while leaders fail to negotiate deals beneficial to their state’s economies.

We are not that helpless after all!

From this article it is enlightening to know that we are not that so helpless in determining our destiny as we have been made to believe. If the former Nigerien president Mamadou Tandja managed to award uranium concessions to a Chinese company hence breaking the 40-year monopoly France’s Areva had then there is room to flex our muscles. Hodzi further states that Zimbabwe did the same thing by awarding diamond mining concessions to China’s Anjin which forced Belgium to push the EU to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC). There is no excuse for bad deals, we just need the right leadership.

In a similar fashion to Hodzi, Gakunzi (2019) asks an important question too that China knows what it wants but how about the Africans? He goes on to say we cannot cure poverty with more debt especially by investing in projects that are incapable of repaying the loans incurred. In the long run, Batty (2019) argues that this kind of arrangement may turn out counter-productive for Chinese interests as it generates resentment on the continent especially among the growing middle class.

All in all, Hodzi in this article has met the goal of refuting the notion that China is actually developing the African continent by putting blame on our greedy leaders with unending corrupt appetite for more debt. The only exception one can take is that not all Chinese funded projects are detrimental to common good as Kenyans can attest to the value of the Thika Super highway project but even then it was more to do with President Mwai Kibaki’s strategic economic leadership style.

References

Batty, F. (2019). No Questions Asked? Development and the Paradox of China’s Africa Policy. Insight Turkey, Vol. 21, No. 1, A NEW SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA? THE ROLE OF
GREAT AND EMERGING POWERS (Winter 2019), pp. 151-166. SET VAKFI İktisadi İşletmesi, SETA VAKFI.

Gakunzi, D. (2019). China in Africa. Jewish Political Studies Review, Vol. 30, Nos. 1/2 (2019), pp. 226-229. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

Hodzi, O. (2018). China and Africa: economic growth and a non-transformative political elite. Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 36:2, 191-206. DOI:10.1080/02589001.2017.1406191