Africa -China Review Africa -China Cooperation and Transformation
Published: June 12,2023
By Mweusi Karake
Apartments built for poor families relocated from mountainous areas in Guizhou-southwest region of China. The occupants are also given job to sustain them.
Photo courtesy: @ Gerald Mbanda, Nov. 2019
Sixty years ago China was as poor as most African countries. Some African countries like, Ghana, Ethiopia, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda had a bettercitizen’s welfare; I hate to use income per capita, for a country can raise income per capita and remain very poor. A country can easily have 90 millionaires, and 90 million beggars! On the other hand, over the past 40 years, the number of people in China with incomes below $1.90 per day – the International Poverty Line as defined by the World Bank to track global extreme poverty– “has fallen by close to 800 million” this is according to world bank joint study undertaken by China’s Ministry of Finance, the Development Research Center (DRC) of the State Council, with the China Center for International Knowledge on Development (CIKD) acting as the implementing agency.
The report looked at the key drivers of China’s poverty alleviation achievements over the past 40 years, considers the insights of China’s experience for other developing countries and puts forward suggestions for China’s own future policies
With this, China has contributed close to three-quarters of the global reduction in the number of people living in extreme poverty.
At China’s current national poverty line, the number of poor fell by 770 million over the same period. Since this report was released 13 months ago we for certain conclude that as of today June 2023,The 800 million people is no more “close” but most likely had been fully achieved and many times over. Lifting 800million people out of poverty is equivalent to lifting the three quarter entire African population out of poverty over night! I will not dwell on the content of the above report. As indicated it has been on internet for over one year; so and one who care to read about china has probably read it.
In my current discussion I will dwell on the so called “Chinese growth magic”. For no matter how benevolent China would have been, she could not have lifted so many millions out of poverty without lifting the entire nation. Below are the fact that have made China what she is and what Africa should learn:
Political approaches with Chinese Characteristics:
Every political system that China has experimented with, ends up with what they call “with Chinese Characteristics.” China does not copy and paste any economic nor political model. For example China literally “Selects” its leaders as opposed to “elect”. In the western models that African have copied from their former colonial masters, the Chinese approach might be accused of being “undemocratic”. But by “selecting” rather than the one adult one vote western model, China never has inexperienced leaders. You don’t become a president of China by advertising on TV, or appealing to a certain constituency. You musthave been tasted. You don’t simply come out of TV talk show and become a president. That is why for so many years the Secretary General of the Chinese Communist Party is a potential step towards being a Chinese president. This way, when a twenty, fifty years vision like poverty alleviation has been set, the incoming Chinese president will have been part of the vision and will therefore either keep the vision, or improve it.
Africa like China therefore, must come up with a political system that is suitable to African problems,timing and vision not “copy and paste” of western so called democratic systems. With due respect to “equality” I honestly do not understand why my houseboy/house girl, an illiterate street sweet banana vendor, should have equal opportunity as a university professor or an army general in deciding who our next president should be. Call undemocratic if you wish, but that is my unapologetic opinion. These should be helped to organize, and uplift their welfare but not to make choices on matters that they don’t understand.
Education takes people out of poverty
I grew up in different refugee camps in north western Uganda, where refugees’ successes was measured by how many acres of land a family could till ( usually maize crops), the more tons of maize the more the head of the family (read father) could shine. This was demonstrated by a newly acquired “wealth meter” property. For example, a new transistor Radio or better a brand new Raleigh Bicycle. Some greater performers were even able to construct a two room iron sheets roofed shelter! The more sons a family had the more manpower to achieve these short term targets. My dad with six sons; a very huge manpower, underperformed in these wealth meters, and neighbors gossiped behind his back for not utilizing his God given manpower. SONS!
My dad, a trained school teacher, had decided that he is better off sending his children to school than ride a posh bicycle or own a transistor radio. He had also decided that a house is not a movable property and he was contented living in a grass thatched house; after all he had left a five bedroom, modern house in Rwanda. My siblings and I are not among the richest people in our country Rwanda, but if my dad had chosen a bicycle and iron sheet roofed house over our education, I would not be writing this article.
China provides, clear guidance to her citizens regarding Education. Not just guidance. China instillsdiscipline and even possible punitive measures to the parents who make short term priorities over long term ones such as education: As a result china provides a nine-year compulsory education policy that enables children over six years old nationwide to have free education at both primary schools (grade 1 to 6) and junior secondary schools (grade 7 to 9). The policy is funded by government, and tuition is free.
Indeed China’s national education expenditure is one of the highest worldwide. In the year 2021 it totaled nearly 5.8 trillion yuan (about 840 billion U.S. dollars) , up 9.13 from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Education accounting for well over 5percent of the country’s GDP.
Africa like China must increase the share of their GDP to funding Education, if any one has any doubt regarding education one needs look no further. Look at Zimbabwe. US , The UK and other western countries put a lot of sanctions on Zimbabwe but could not fully put her on her knees. The major reason why Zimbabwe survived is that at independence she invested very heavily in Education.
Market Africa as a continent and engage the world as one entity just like China
Western economists have attributed china’s rise in just seven decades to geographical location. Pointing out that China is not land locked which is very important for trade. Very true and very wrong! China with 1.4 Billion people is by all fairness a continent. Remember that, although China is not referred to as a continent, in reality it is! Africa with 1.3 billion people is almost at per with China and taken as a whole, Africa is not land locked.
A few countries like mine (Rwanda) are land locked, but Africa as a continent is not land locked. What African leaders have failed to do is make Africa one entity. The organisation of African Unity (OAU) created in early sixties and replaced by the African union (AU), has simply being talking shops.
I am not a politician; I challenge anyone who dare to argue, to show me any African country that has lifted at least 80 million citizens out of poverty in just four decade. Some hundred African citizens (please don’t tell me OAU/AU staff) who have been lifted out of poverty because of OAU/AU poverty alleviation programmes.
Dr William Ruto addressing the African Union recentlyreminded his audience that Africa has made engagement that whoever want to engage Africa must engage the African Union Troika, and not individual heads of state. Adding that one who wants to have a fruitful engagement must respect African rules. That is what China did long time ago. Not just one and half speech, dinner and photographs. If Africa can achieve this unity of purpose believe me in a few years we shall be talking about “Africa Magic.”
Mweusi Karake is a regional integration advocate formerly with COMESA
