Development Africa

China's economic ascendance over the past two decades has generated ripple effects in the world economy. Its search for natural resources to satisfy the demands of industrialization has led it to Sub-Saharan Africa. Trade between China and Africa in 2006 totaled more than $50 billion, with Chinese companies importing oil from Angola and Sudan, timber from Central Africa, and copper from Zambia. Demand from China has contributed to an upward swing in prices, particularly for oil and metals from Africa, and has given a boost to real GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa. Chinese aid and investment in infrastructure are bringing desperately needed capital to the continent. At the same time, however, strong Chinese demand for oil is contributing to an increase in the import bill for many oil-importing Sub-Saharan African countries, and its exports of low-cost textiles, while benefiting African consumers, is threatening to displace local production. China poses a challenge to good governance and macroeconomic management in Africa because of the potential Dutch disease implications of commodity booms. China presents both an opportunity for Africa to reduce its marginalization from the global economy and a challenge for it to effectively harness the influx of resources to promote poverty-reducing economic development at home.

Strauss-Kahn has been criticized for publicly supporting President Bush's stimulus measures to address potential recession in the U.S. - the opposite of the painful austerity measures the IMF applied during the East Asian financial crisis of 1997-98. But while he has been quick to register the IMF's concern about a potential food price crisis in Africa, it appears that in this case the IMF will not diverge so radically from past practice: new loans, seldom the best remedy for countries facing humanitarian crises, are the best he has to offer.

''Africa is not a basket case. The continent is just suffering from the effects of events that it has no hand in and cannot control.'' These are the remarks of Ekplom Afeke, a Togolese activist who is attending the 12th meeting of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) currently underway in Accra, Ghana. Afeke says the continent has been deprived of trade and investment over decades. If that has not been bad enough, the effects of poor environmental management outside the continent are today compounding Africa's crisis of poverty.

Spain's relationship with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) also received a boost with a recent cooperation agreement signed between Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Spain's minister of foreign affairs and co-operation and Antipas Mbusu Nyamwisi, the DRC's minister of foreign affairs. The agreement is aimed at basic social services and the protection of the human rights of more vulnerable social groups such as children and women, through support for local institutions. In addition to basic health, education and transport needs, there will be collaboration in projects for environmental protection and sustainable development, and scientific and technological research. It is anticipated that the development of this agreement will begin with the setting up of a combined commission for evaluation, planning and monitoring, which will meet every four years.

According to wind expert Dr Ladislaus Lwambuka, from the University of Dar es Salaam, Africa is now ready for wind power on a commercial scale.

In recognition of Earth Day, Africa Action today released a new resource entitled A Strategy of Extraction examining the oil industry in Africa using the case study of Nigeria's Niger Delta region. Because of poverty and geography, Africa will be disproportionately impacted by climate change. Africa Action urged leaders to prioritize sustainable, people-driven development in U.S.-Africa relations.

Recent research suggests that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from donor countries do not provide better targeted or more efficient aid than state-run development agencies. They do not seem to even try to outperform the latter by focussing on the neediest or by working in particularly difficult environments.

Idasa is an independent public interest organisation committed to promoting sustainable democracy based on active citizenship, democratic institutions, and social justice.

The Centre of African Studies at SOAS has received a tremendous boost with a donation to fund an initiative on Governance for Development in Africa, which will create a dedicated environment to support Africans to study both the legal aspects of governance and the links between economic development and governance.

Read in context of critical literature on Mo Ibrahim.