In an exciting development, the Fertilidea team, spearheaded by the CEO of African Business Exchange Italy Mr. Silas odiero, arrived in Zambia on the 28th of January 2024 hot on the heels of a fruitful encounter with H.E The President Hakainde Hichilema of the Repubic of Zambia during his official visit to Rome. The anticipation surrounding their arrival is palpable, marking the beginning of a promising chapter in cross-continental collaboration.

Upon touchdown, the team was graciously welcomed by Mr. Albert Halwampa, the esteemed Director General of ZDA (Zambia Development Authority), along with his dedicated team. This pivotal moment captured in the photograph signifies not only the commencement of a new partnership but also the convergence of expertise and ambition.

Silas Odiero

What was meant to be an ordinary seminar turned into a mission to enhance Kenya-Italian business relations with the vice chairman promising to take steps to cement the relationship by making a return trip to explore possibilities of establishing partnerships with various Italian businesses to take advantage of Italy’s unique SME model that has earned it a place as one of the world’s most industrialised nation. Italy is known to be the 2^nd most industrialised nation in Europe and 5^th in the world.

“ICPAK is keen to partner with Italy in areas of technological transfer and joint ventures that will enhance capacity building in Kenya” said Vice Chairman George Mokua in his opening statement as he welcomed  the speakers and other delegates at the beginning of the seminar.

The Kenyan Ambassador to Italy H.E. Jackline Yonga congratulated ICPAK members for the bold step and asked them to continue in the trend as Kenya was regarded highly as a business partner and that they needed to take advantage and enhance the value by forging relationships with Italian companies. She said that her office was open to receive and give all the necessary support to ICPAK  in its endeavour to heighten it’s accountability standards.

The speakers included CPA Antony Njiru, CFO, Royal Business School and CPA Michael ingutia, CFO, KCA University both from Kenya and Ms. Giusy Cannone, CEO, Fashion Technology Accelerator, Mr. Benjamin Radomski, CEO Business e Via Italy, Mr. Antonio Raimondi CEO, Genius Loci,  Mr Francesco Mangiameli, a corporate tax consultant with a private firm in Milan and Advocate  David Ottolengi  all from Italy.   CPA Michael Ingutia in highlighting the ‘take home’, said that it was clear that Italy and Kenya had every reason to partner for the betterment of the two economies and that Kenya had a strong SME base that could be a huge resource if it was structured using the Italian model and that this would be a great reason for seeking partnerships with Italy. He said the Italian technology remained to be archetypal and its commitment to R&D exemplary.

The ICPAK chairlady Rose Mwaura  was unable to join the delegates but sent a great speech that was read by Council Member  Risper Olique Gangla.  In  her speech she reiterated the need for ICPAK to stay focused in its role as an overseer . She thanked all the participants for their commitment to the institute and urged them to continue their support for the institution.

Where did it all begin?

Agnes: Nana and I were working together in a firm, that we really loved, unfortunately the work dynamic didn’t allow for family life and so when Nana was about to get married she sadly had to leave. During that time, she was doing private projects for one of her private clients who ended up becoming one of the major real estate companies in Ghana, so she worked for him on a project which ended up being very successful, people liked it and wanted the same style because it was so refreshing in the city.

This particular project built success for the client and in turn for us, one building therefore became two and the two became three and eventually she had to register a company and 8 years on we are a 50 staff strong company. Our guiding principal has been to do excellent work no matter what it takes, and to answer the questions that the client and the site bring to us.

One then has to analyse what the site has and what the market trends are in order to give the best answers that may sometimes differ with what the client desires. Sometimes the answer is something that the client may not have even conceived. When you take this approach the results are always amazing.

Was it challenging to make it to the top in a male dominated industry?

Agnes: For both of us, straight out of school our first long employment period was with a female architect and so we do not know anything else, she made it seem normal to be a female architect and I guess that explains why we had a very positive approach when we started our own careers as architects.

There is no one point at which we stopped to think about the issue of gender. There are still moments when you go to site or for meetings and you would be the only female or even the youngest. Sometimes clients who see our work expect to have seen work done by older men. The bottom-line is that we don’t really feel the difference even though we know we are in a male dominated industry, I think its all a matter of perspective.

For instance, Nana once asked the son if he wanted to become an Architect and his answer was hilarious, he said to Nana “Mama I am not a girl” because in his perspective he has grown up thinking Architecture was a girls world when the world’s view is totally different.

How do you manage to keep it fresh?

Nana: We treat every project as being unique in itself, so for every project we start from scratch. we typically start by analysing the site and seeing the context, after which we research on what the client wants and for example if it’s a commercial project we look at what is missing or what can be added to it, only then do we start designing. Each project therefore starts from scratch and each one is tailor made to a particular client and to a particular site at the time it is conceived.

Our projects aspire to answer questions or fill any void that we observe at the time we are executing the project. Maybe that answers why every project looks excellent because the spirit and the thinking of the end product is always at the best they can be.

Why do you have so much affinity for green technology?

Nana: Africa is developing very fast and with the development you can tell that there is a race far ahead of planning. I think it is important for us to be responsible in how we live with the nature around us. At Archxenus we are very sensitive about sustainability.

It actually forms the basis of our design. In the tropics, orientation bioclimatic design already influences how the building is placed in the site to catch light and to allow for ventilation, it is those sensitive elements that if in co-operated in non traditional buildings with the thinking of being environmentally responsible amount to green architecture.

We are passers by on this earth, we will leave this earth for the people coming after us, just as it was left for us, so its important that in our strive to be dominant and to make statements, we be sensitive to the Environment.

What are some of your highlights as a company?

Nana: One of the greatest highlights is being able to combine work and life. Typically work is separate from life but here we try to see that mothers are able to bring their children to work if they need to, and that one can leave in the middle of the day and go to the bank if they need to, or even get their nails done, provided that they are able to meet the timelines and work at their optimum with the freedom of being flexible which allows for creativity and goes hand in hand with the responsibility to be as high performing as possible.

Another highlight is the opportunity to have interns, a good example is an intern who was with us for a year and later left to go and work some where else. This intern entered into an international competition and came second.

I personally found it so fulfilling to look back to the fact that even though we didn’t take part in the competition that some thing we had taught or passed on was living on and making an impact elsewhere. Another aspect that has been so fulfilling has been seeing how much people enjoy the spaces we design after one of our buildings are completed and the users begin to use the space.

I still have a fresh memory of a bank we did recently. A lady who was passing by during the final day of inspections stopped and asked if she could take pictures and we wondered why, so she told us that the father used to own the building and that he would have been so happy to see what we had done to it and I thought that was really nice. She probably wasn’t going to be a user of the space herself but the mere fact that we are able to give that kind of joy to a passer by or a user who wasn’t a part of our plan is for us priceless.

What do you attribute your success to?

Agnes: It can only be God. there is nothing we could have done in such a short time, besides, I believe that when He gives you the gift and blesses you with the opportunity, then you should work hard and give your best at all time.

However, all that is insignificant compared to the favour that He has granted us. I think that apart from all that, its about having a good support network. Having husbands who care and understand and even when we sometimes have crazy deadlines that get us to work strange hours they still edge us on and encourage you to strive for excellence. Our other major asset is having a good team who have the same zeal and the drive to want to be part of achieving the same things we want to achieve.

What do the Awards means to you?

Agnes: The awards to us simply mark recognition of something we did in the past. They also reminds us that there is much more to do and that what we do now must have an impact and be recognizable in the future, so although it marks the past it edges us on to do better and push for more in the future.

How do you want to be remembered?

Agnes: I see Africa as the next frontier, America and Europe have developed to reach their peak, so even though development is still ongoing, its not as rapid as it maybe in Africa. China on the other hand, has developed in the last 25 years from a majorly low income economy to one of the largest middle class economies.

Africa is projected to become one of the most densely urbanised continents. We may owe our slow rate of development to many things including colonialism but even after independence we haven’t really developed speedily as we should have. With that as a background I think we are well positioned as long as we keep in this track without being arrogant and follow God’s leading, to see quite a significant change and development in Africa.

With that in mind, I hope that when we are gone 50 to 100 years from now that we are remembered as the Africans who studied and lived in their continent and did right for the continent. I hope our company will be remembered as one that was able to offer solutions that our continent needed within its context and to design buildings for work and living that suited our people and that were not pegged in the past but relevant for the time we lived in and also for the future. I would like that through our work we are able to create employment and hope and direction for people and also inspiration so that people looking 100 years on will be challenged to say that if these girls were able to do this then I guess we can do even better now.

What else does your company do apart from architecture?

Nana: We do three major things. We consult, we design, we build and we develop. In fact there is a new thing going on of architects getting into asset developing. We find that when we are able to develop a project on our own there is a lot more freedom and problem solving that is different from when a client engages you with a clear objective of what it is they want to achieve which can be rather limiting. It enables us to identify a social challenge and be able to throw our weight behind it using our creativity and our wealth of experience to offer the best solution.

What lessons have you learnt that you would like to share with the youth?

Agnes: For just over a decade, we have had the opportunity and honour to have young people work with us mostly as interns. Sometimes we have had students coming from various schools to work and learn with us. what I usually tell them is that they shouldn’t despise their youth as most African youth especially in Ghana who think that when you are young, then you should simply keep quiet and let the adults talk. Instead they should use the opportunity as a platform to expand their knowledge and to propose new ideas since the youth really don’t have much to loose.

They need to know that it is while colouring outside the lines that you are able to create something exceptional. They should also be aware of the fact that the dark skin God gave us, makes us stand out and that it can be a problem in itself in certain circles. The way to fix it is to be at the top of your game, be excellent, be the best at what you do, then it will not matter where you come from because success has no colour. Excellence speaks.

They should always remember that the best things don’t come easy so they have to push hard until it happens. Finally they should learn to trust and fear God, and be exceptional.

The trajectory of Africa’s catapult into the subsequent 50 years of the founding of its Organisation of African Unity (OAU) – the forerunner of the African Union (AU) – was laid at the organisation’s 50 anniversary in 2013, when the continent’s leaders met at their annual meeting and signed the 50th Anniversary Solemn Declaration. It was here where the African Heads of State gave rise to Agenda 2063, which sets the tone for the transformation of Africa into an economic powerhouse for the following fifty years and by that token achieve inclusive and sustainable development for its people in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). It is a step taken to move away from the more politically inclined objective of attainment of independence from colonial rule to one that gives prominence to socio-economic transformation. As such, the Agenda places high: improving living standards; transformed, improved sustainable economies; an integrated Africa; empowered women, youth and children; and a well governed, peaceful and cultural centric Africa in the global context. Agenda 2063 provides the guiding light on what Africa believes it needs to do to attain COVER STORY Africa Postures itself as the economic epicentre of the World. BY SILUMELUME MUBUKWANU ( Counsellor for economic affairs, embassy of the Republic of Zambia, Rome) these lofty objectives. At the centre of Agenda 2063 is 12 key flagship projects which the continent has planned to undertake in attaining those objectives. These are: construction of the Integrated High-Speed Train Network; formulation of an African Commodities Strategy; establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area; the African Passport and Free Movement of People; silencing the guns by 2020; Implementation of the Grand INGA Dam Project; establishment of a Single African Air Transport Market; establishment of Annual African Economic Forum; establishment of the African Financial Institutions; the PanAfrican E-Network, Africa Outer Space Strategy; an African Virtual and E-University; Cyber Security and Great African Museum. Agenda 2063 also espouses the following continental frameworks: the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), the Programme for Infrastructural Development in Africa (PIDA), the African Mining Vision (AMV), Science Technology Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA), Boosting Intra African Trade (BIAT), Accelerated Industrial Development for Africa (AIDA).

The idea of setting up the Pan-African Free-Trade Area or Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) was occasioned by the realisation that of itself and within itself, Africa needs to engage more in intra-African trade as a catalyst for inclusive sustainable development. The African market, which is a sizeable 1.2 billion people, provides for a huge market for anyone who cares to tap into COVER STORY the market. Currently intra-Africa trade ranks the lowest at an estimated 10% compared to its intercontinental trade markets of Europe, America and Asia at 40%, 30% and 20% respectively. Boosting of intra-African trade calls for the production of good quality products that can compete favourably with inter-continental imports.

In addition, engaging into value addition of primary goods which are usually exported from Africa at a much less profitable rate than the finished products Africa imports from the rest of the world, is an area that is hungry for investment. The foregoing therefore, provides a huge platform upon which investment into activities that add value to primary products can be engaged in. To that end, deeper international cooperation would contribute significantly to production of good quality products and enhanced technological advancement becomes key. The private sector and academia become critical to the attainment of such a state of affairs. As such, investment which directs itself to these critical aspects, is likely to benefit more in high returns in the long run as the African market begins to adopt more of its own products that would have been produced locally by good quality enterprise. Those that choose to invest on the continent, can only benefit from producing within the Free-Trade Area through the numerous incentives that come with producing within the Free-Trade Area such as those that exist under Rules of Origin. In addition to being in the Free-Trade Area, international companies that have ventured into Africa on their own or through Joint Ventures, now have a plethora of projects to participate in as the continent seeks to achieve the objectives of its Agenda 2063 flagship projects. Notable in this regard, is Chinese investment which has seen the numerous opportunities that Africa presents as the next frontier for global business. If China can make this recognition, the rest of the developed world ought to pay attention to that reality and examine the reasons why they should express concern on the by-lines, instead of taking the initiative to address the bottlenecks that stop them from participating favourably. In conclusion, it is worth reiterating that Africa has laid the requisite foundation for business to engage and flourish within that space. The future can only be brighter as the transformation of the continent takes firmer root. The political, socio-economic platform continues to improve in comparison to what things were in the first 50 years, giving rise to brighter prospects for those who wish to venture into the African environment. It is therefore advised that closer engagement with the continent, for mutually beneficial partnerships, through various avenues including its outposts in the diaspora be undertaken, particularly among the various diplomatic missions in the European sub-continent who should be on hand to provide more information.

Prime Minister Abiy has been compared to notable leaders like Barack Obama, the first black American president, the late Nelson Mandela of South Africa who is also credited with having led the African people in South Africa in a successful fight against apartheid and Former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev who is credited for his openness and reorientation of the Soviet strategic aims which led to the end of the cold war, among others.

Abiy who was born in western Ethiopia, joined the resistance movement against the regime of the former leader Mengistu Haile Mariam as a teenager before enlisting in the army where he quickly rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He later served at the cyber-intelligence service before getting into politics and rising through the ranks of the Oromo faction of the EPRDF.

His achievements in only five months are not only unprecedented at least in the region in Africa where peace and stability has been elusive for many decades but also commendable for a young Democracy like that of Ethiopia. His pacifistic leadership style that has been hailed both at home and abroad has given optimism and a renewed hope to a region once ravaged by war.

The 41 year Old Abiy took over a country that was in the brink of a major economic catastrophe on April 2 2018 from Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe who resigned surprisingly after a series of protests by various interest groups mainly led by the youth who represent about 70% of the population and who have been desperate for a paradigm shift from the repressive leadership that has seen the country degenerate to become one  of  the poorest and least economically capable of giving jobs to its mainly young population some of whom have  graduated but  are without jobs.

He quickly embarked on one of the most ambitious reform agendas ever with a remarkable speed and scale starting with the release of thousands of political prisoners including a British national by the name Andargachew Tsege who was on death row for four years for alleged terrorism charges and apologising for heavy handedness and torture by the government officials and promising change for the better.  He proceeded to fire the head of prison services after allegations of torture on the prisoners. He also removed the names of three opposition parties from the list of terrorist organisations. Abiy further lifted the unpopular state of emergency which earned him favour and eased discontentment especially among the youth and other political opponents who were feeling disenfranchised by the limitations to freedom. He has also liberalised the media which had been stifled by the previous regimes for fear of criticism.

On the economic front, he has begun the privatisation of major government owned cooperations  including state owned Ethiopian Airlines  and state run telecoms which will be open to private domestic and foreign investment. Many other sectors such are meant to follow suit except for the finance sector which may be privatised only after the country stabilises and comes out of its current volatile situation partly caused by a severe foreign currency shortage which almost brought the country to its knees.

The situation has however been improved by an intervention by Abiy after he secured a 3 billion Dollar aid package from the AUE, part of which (1 billion) has already been injected into the economy to ease the shortage. He has also made a remarkable and bold move of extending a hand of peace to the neighbouring countries, notably Eritrea with whom Ethiopia has had a 20 year diplomatic stand off after a two-year war between the two countries that killed at least two thousand people and injured a score of others.

All these reforms have not been popular with the entire nation, especially the peace deal with Eritrea which has caused a lot of the minority groups such as the Irob people who are unhappy about the decision to normalise relationships with people they see only as enemies. Infact the botched terrorist attack on the 23rd of June 2018 at a pro Abiy rally at the vast Meske Square in Addis Ababa at which 2 people died and many others were injured was allegedly carried out by hardliner minority who are discontent with some of the reforms he has put in place.

The recent incident which took place in Shashemene , in which a person was hung upside down from a tree by a local mob after rumour circulated that he had carried a bomb at a rally to mark the return to Ethiopia of activist Jawar Mohammed  and the killing of 23 people following ethnic violence targeting minorities in Oromo heartland on the outskirts of Addis Ababa are clear signs of rising ethnic tensions which have  drawn criticism from  many quarters  who see Abiy’s failure to address security challenges and sectarian violence as something that might hinder his efforts for reconciliation, inclusion, national unity and healing.”

Even the large aid package from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been seen by some critics as a wrong move that would amount to Abiy not only siding with Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Gulf crisis, but also subscribing to some form of participation in the power game in the region which may taint the image of the country and compromise his role as one of the most Democratic and independent leaders in Africa. With only five months in power, one can only hope that he will finish what he has started and become the true face of a new Democratic Africa lead by young visionary leaders that will steer Africa to achieve its full potential and reclaim its titled that has long been denied, “the richest continent on planet earth.” This dream however may be dead on arrival if Ethiopians of good will from all ethnic groups do not rally behind him to form a unified and all-inclusive Ethiopia.

The event that was named Tembea Kenya cultural and business exchange, whose key  word “Tembea” means, to visit and share, was started with the sole objective of bringing together Kenyan and Italian entrepreneurs from various business sectors such as real estate, media, tourism, energy, fashion and culture,  to interact and exchange ideas.

In an interview with African Business exchange, the founder John Mwangi said that the Kenyans in Italy had become more active and vibrant than in the past and were ready and willing to bridge the economic gap between Kenya and Italy by creating a common platform where companies and investors from both countries could meet and engage.

The guests took to the stage amid traditional dances, tasty food and beautiful and well displayed traditional items and artefacts, to reinforce the powerful role played by the African Diaspora in the development of both their countries of origin and their hosting nations. The messages from all the key speakers revolved around the proven fact that what was once seen as a challenge was today an opportunity to be taken advantage of: “Africans living and working abroad are strong agents of change.”

Cleophase Adrien Dioma, Coordinator of the Italy Africa Business Week and the African October festival stated that it was encouraging to see African diaspora communities beginning to organize themselves in their cities of residence. He said it was very important for these communities to learn how best to organize and structure their efforts efficiently in order to create synergies with other local stakeholders in their specific areas.  He emphasised that the Italian government through the Italian Agency for Development which is under the Ministry of Foreign affairs, was eager to create new partnerships to unlock the potential of the public and the private sector to co-fund and propel start-ups by young African innovators in order to create long lasting small and medium businesses.

African governments such as  Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya have acknowledged the decisive role played by the diaspora worldwide and have established specific agencies and ministerial institutions to establish stronger ties with their citizens working abroad, rightfully seen as valid resources in the short, medium and long term. Such institutions also provide guidelines and regulations to facilitate communication and economic flows between Africans working abroad and their counterparts in the countries of origin.

The African Foundation for Development and the African Diaspora Program launched by the World Bank, base their steps on the remittances made by the African diaspora. These remittances are actually said to be much more than the amounts recorded by aid organizations: in 2010 for example, the total diaspora contributions to Africa stood at $51.8 billion compared to roughly $43 billion in Oversea Development Assistance (ODA), according to the studies carried out by World Bank that year. Only two years later the World Bank figures showed that Africans in the diaspora sent back home no less than US$60 billion.

At the Tembea Kenya day, it was underlined that Kenya, in 2017 alone, received 1.7 billion USD in remittances from citizens working in the United Kingdom, the USA,  Japan and Italy among other countries that contributed smaller percentages.

This outstanding amount is said to be justified by the qualitative difference between the old and the new diaspora, the latter being formed by young and vibrant men and women prepared to discover new opportunities and become entrepreneurs and masters of their own destinies, rather than be hired by others in white collar jobs.  The remittances from the diaspora reach families, thereby helping them in their every day life by paying school fees, buying land and starting or improving local businesses. These contributions have an immediate and a long-term effect on peoples’ lives, thus representing a remarkable factor on the national building process.

Gianfranco Belgrano, the director of Internazionale, an international media group, who also spoke at the event, highlighted the important role of the media in clarifying the importance of the African workers to the Italian public. He stated that Africa was the present and the future of Europe and the world in general and hence opportunities like Tembea Kenya event, where people meet to exchange knowledge and experiences, were vital as possible avenues to building a better world than the one we live in today. He went on to say that the diaspora was a bridge and that the businesses they promote was the way to eliminate the negative stereotypes around Africa. “Let’s not forget that Africa is a booming continent, while Italy is still going through a crisis that is yet to end. In this exchange, Italy stands to gain more,” he said.

John Mwangi who is also the founder of Tembea – Italy Chapter shared his hope in light of the second edition of the event to be held next year saying, “This year we had ten exhibitors, next year we hope to have one hundred, in a much bigger location for at least two days because Italian and Kenyan banks are keen to be part of this event and to facilitate the establishment of business in both countries. This demonstrates that  African countries are now placing diaspora at the centre stage.”

By Giulio D’Ercole

I believe strongly in Africa and the African dream. I believe that Africa is perhaps the richest continent endowed with a wide variety of natural resources and certainly, the widest variety of food crops given that it’s the only continent that has the equator cutting right across it. However, the continent has a few problems to fix before it can become self-sufficient and begin to play a serious role in the international arena.

One of the main problems is the false mind-set of wanting to fix African problems with purely Western solutions. I believe that the culture of a people is the backbone of their economic growth and development and there is need for Africans to begin to appreciate that important fact and stop using the wrong yardstick to measure their success. Our future lies in our land and the natural resources within it. We therefore need a paradigm shift in our approach to fixing our problems in order to begin to reap from our resources by building the capacity of our people to produce transform and conserve our natural resources.

When I came to Italy about 20 years ago, I had no idea what was awaiting me, but looking back I thank God that I believed in myself and what I was able to achieve, because after about 13 years of hard-work, in 2011, together with my partners we were able to take over and transform a company that was about to close down due to the world economic crisis that hit Italy from the beginning of 2009, giving it a new breath of life. Seven years on, I can say for a fact that New Cold System is not only going strong but we are expanding into Africa where there is a huge untapped market and the greatest need for cold chains for conserving food which would otherwise go to waste as is the case with 50% of the total produce which gets thrown a way for lack of proper storage. Our turn over has risen to well over Euro 2,000,000.00 (2 million euro).

I see myself as an ambassador for Africa with a moral responsibility to give back to a continent that has given me so much. We have so far opened up in Burkina Faso and are working on a grand plan to train as many people as possible as we provide solar powered cold rooms so that Africa can begin to manage its food products more efficiently because we believe that the development of any nation begins by being able to feed its people adequately.  There is no human being that can be productive on an empty stomach. Our dream is therefore to play a key role in transforming Africa especially in the food sector, one country at a time. I believe that there are many out there who will be willing to join us in this journey because Africa is so big and we are not able to do it alone.

The formation of this free trade area in Africa If ratified by all the 44 countries will become one of the world’s largest trading blocs and will create a single market of 1.2 billion people with a combined gross domestic product of more than $2 trillion. One of the key players who offered support to ensure the conceptualization of this continental agreement, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) states that cutting intra-African tariffs could bring $3.6 billion in welfare gains to the continent through a boost in production and cheaper goods. This lacked before when the continent had three separate trading bloc; Common Market for Eastern & Southern Africa (COMESA), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and, the East African Community (EAC).

However, key players and the continents largest economies, South Africa and Nigeria were missing raising concerns about the pact; the two represent $700 billion — or one-third — of the $2.1 trillion in gross domestic product across all the 55 African countries. They argued they were still conducting internal negotiations on some protocols in the pact.

This agreement is also part of the AU’s Agenda 2063, a long-term plan for continent-wide political, social and economic integration and development and critics argue the single trading bloc will not work where individual sub-regional ones have failed but will rather build on previous trade gains and will result in the whole being larger than the sum of its parts.

Key Benefits

The pact will benefit Africa in at least six mutually reinforcing ways. First, it will generate the momentum for the creation of similar arrangements for the 11 countries (including two leading economies, Nigeria and South Africa).  It is also a much larger market whose free flow of goods and services will help to maintain economic growth at over 7 percent per year. At this rate, the combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Africa is projected to reach $29 trillion by 2050, which would be equal to the current combined GDP of the EU and the US. With additional policies, such growth will contribute significantly to spreading prosperity and reducing poverty.

Additionally, the treaty will serve as an impetus for investment in Africa’s cross-border infrastructure. It is estimated that Africa needs to invest nearly $100 billion annually in infrastructure over the next decade. Less than half of this target is met currently. Also, the prospects for the larger markets and supporting infrastructure will spur industrial development.

This will not only create jobs but it will also have the added advantage of diversifying Africa’s economies that are largely dependent on raw materials. The associated technological development will lead to the creation of new industries.

Also, the signal of larger markets will help to stimulate trade in services. The first beneficiary is likely to be the financial sector, which will be able to lend to larger industrialists seeking to benefit from economies of scale. Such financial services will reinforce the increase in cross-border investments by emerging African firms that are serving as regional champions of industrial development.

By being part of larger markets, small African countries will no longer be restricted to producing their traditional products. With better policies and human resources, they can become the locus of new manufacturing operations that serve wider markets and finally by providing a single economic space with harmonized trade policies and a regulatory framework, the AfCFTA solves the problem of multiple memberships, rationalizes trade negotiations, reduces the cost of doing business, supports industrialization, and stimulates cross-border infrastructure projects.

In the film, Mazrui shows how European colonialism destroyed Africa’s ability to make its own things- a trick he termed as Predatory capitalism.

He gives the example of the Balunda, the Baluba and the Basanga people of what is today the DR Congo, who used clay produced by termites to smelt copper from which they made all manner of farming implements, weaponry and even decorations.

However, the coming of Western imperialism through predatory capitalism and appropriation of resources killed local industries.

“…and then the Europeans came. Did they want to learn from the technology they found here? Oh no! At least the Baluba and the Balunda had consulted the technology of the termites and benefited from it. But European technology was more arrogant more self-confident and less compromising. It abolished the old technological order and in its wake it left new forms of desolation in Africa.”  Mazrui said.

As Africa is now too good to ignore, global economic giants such as China, United States, France and the United Kingdom scramble for its share.

Among the four, China is coming out strong just like the European technology.

A case in point is two months ago when Investors at the Nairobi Securities Exchange incurred a loss of Sh118.7 billion as a result of tension in global trade, sparked by looming trade war between the U.S. and China.

According to Kenyas Central Bank Weekly statistical bulletin,  all indices and market capitalization declined, slowing post dividend growth momentum when the bourse recorded an equity turnover growth of 46.82 percent. 

So how and why, are they doing it?

A story is told in the Financial Times of how China set its foot in Africa way back in the 15^th century when shipwrecked sailors from the fleet of Zheng landed in an island off the northern coast of Kenya Pate Island.

The Chinese explorers reached the east coast 500 years ago swapping Chinese treasures with African exotica such as Ivory Ostriches and Zebra’s.

The contact was later consolidated under Mao Zedong with anti-colonial solidarity and the construction of engineering works, notably the 1,860km Tanzam railway linking Zambia with the Tanzanian coast.

Fast forward to today, the Asian economic powerhouse is undertaking the China Belt and Road Initiative to connect Asia, Africa and Europe.

It is a state-backed project for global dominance aimed at connecting China to 65 other countries that account collectively for over 30 percent of global GDP, and  62 percent of the world population.

Monetary-wise, Chinas debt held by Africa stands stands at $143 billion up from $50 billion in 2006 atleast according to Kenyas Standard Media.

This is exclusive of the $60 billion China’s President Xi Jinping pledged to African governments during the recently held Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Beijing.

The pledge is to be given as $20 billion in new credit lines, $15 billion in foreign aid: grants, interest-free loans and concessional loans, $10 billion for a special fund for development financing and $5 billion for a special fund for financing imports from Africa.

Jinping also urged Chinese private companies to invest not less than $10 billion in Africa in the next three years.

According to data from the China Africa Research Initiative, China has disbursed loans to atleast 48 African countries. Angola is the top recipient of the Chinese loans, with $42.8 billion disbursed over 17 years.

Ethiopia follows in second position with $13.7 billion, Kenya is third at $9.8 billion.

The East African nation currently owes the Asian country $5.5 billion slightly below debt to World Bank that stands at  $5.8 billion.

The two lenders alone now account for about one fifth of Kenya’s total public debt load, which has already crossed the $50 billion mark.

In fourth and fifth position is the Republic of Congo and South Sudan owing the Chinese $7.42 and $6.49 billion respectively.

A majority of the lending is used for infrastructure development.

Sri Lanka Example

It is said that when a deal is too good, we should think twice.

This is exactly where Africa, once labelled a dark continent by the West is. Its sweet-sour position has seen some of its countries surrender its precious assets to repay the debts.

For instance, In December 2017, Sri Lanka formally handed over Hambantota Port to China on a 99-year lease after struggling to pay loans from the Chinese nation.

Reports by the New York Times, noted that Sri Lanka politicians said the Hambantota deal valued at $1.1 billion, was necessary to chip away the debt estimated to be more than $8 billion.

Word on the streets early last month was that China, famous for its iconic great wall would lake over Zambia’s National electricity supplier- ZESCO as a guarantee to its debt.

However the Edgar Lungu led Nation has since denied the rumors.

Even as China continues to play santa clause to desperate African Nations, the United states considered Africa’s largest donor is not becoming uncomfortable.

In August, US Senate raised concern about high infrastructure debt issued to developing countries by China under the Belt and Road Initiative. It termed Chinese funding as ‘predatory’.

A letter dated August 3, posted on Georgia senator David Perdue’s website, the senate raises concern about China’s debt trap diplomacy and negative effects of BRI to developing countries which latter turn to IMF for bailouts.

“We write to express our concern over bailout requests to the International Monetary Fund by countries who have accepted predatory Chinese infrastructure financing. The financial crisis illustrates dangers of China’s debt trap diplomacy to countries and security threats to US,’’ the letter said in part.

According to the letter, 23 out of 68 countries currently hosting BRI funded projects are at risk of debt distress while future BRI related financing in eight of those countries raises concerns about sovereign debt sustainability.

CARI reveals that the US disbursed $12 billion just to Sub-Saharan Africa in 2017, and $250 million to North Africa.

However Deborah Brautigam, CARI director says that “This could change under the Trump administration’s budget cuts.”

On the other hand, in her visit to Africa in August, UK Prime minister Theresa May pledged pledged $5.2 billion in support for African economies, to create jobs for young people.

In addition she pledged a shift  in aid spending to focus on long-term economic and security challenges rather than short-term poverty reduction.

Data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development shows that UK direct investment in Africa was $55.51 billion compared with $57.59 billion from the US.

As the scramble continues, the rest of the world can only watch if African Nations and its leaders will resist the easy to get Chinese loans or (just like T’challa in the fiction movie Black panther) it will rally its muscles and release full power of Black Panther to defeat its foes and secure the safety of its people.

Is the relationship between Europe and Africa really changing?

In the first fifteen years of the new millennium, there has been a re-awakening in the attention of European countries, parallel to that of other states such as China, towards the African continent, generated by the good performance of the economies from this part of the world. The coming together once again between the two continents was the result of the positive trends in raw materials and capital coming not only from China, but also from India and Brazil, which contributed to the growth of African economies, and the fall in commodity prices that have changed future European prospects leading to great concern in terms of immigration and internal security in Europe.

These conditions also led the European Union to reflect on the need to return to investing in Africa in order to avoid the progressive disintegration of many of its countries, and to stop the massive migratory flow towards European coasts. On the one hand Europe recognizes the potential of these countries, on the other hand its trying to solve the problem of migration through the controversial slogan of “help them at home”. Italy for example has shown a significantly greater interest than in the past. This was confirmed by the visits, three by Matteo Renzi, the Italian Prime Minister and one by Paolo Gentiloni (Who is he?) in the last four years compared to the past when no prime minister in office bothered to visit Sub-Saharan countries. Overall, I would say that there is a growing interest in economies that have done well and, driven by concerns about migratory flows, the obstacle of the slowdown in the last two years is being overcome.

The President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani spoke about the Marshall Plan for Africa. Is this really serious this time?

The Marshall Plan is an expression that has been evoked, but not formalized, on several occasions. Tajani has asked to bring the Investment Fund to € 44 billion, a figure that thanks to the leverage effect should put in motion investments for around € 500 billion. We have to see if it will happen and if the answer is yes it will be in the years to come. These resources must be included in the Union budget and it is still worth waiting to see if they will be approved. There have also been concrete initiatives in the past, such as the Trust Fund for Africa, whose resources however, as on other occasions, have been diverted mainly to the countries and areas useful in the controlling of the immigration phenomenon.