Anonymous

Africa and poverty are almost synonymous. It is virtually impossible to mention Africa without poverty coming to one’s mind. It doesn’t mean that the whole Length and breadth of the continent is poor. It is just a picture deliberately painted by foreign media to their audience to show that Africa is uncivilized and nothing good can come of the continent. Innumerable conferences and summits have been regularly convened to create a roadmap for lifting Africa and its people out of poverty. It is irrefutable to say that all these efforts have failed. It is appropriate to point out that conditions have only deteriorated overtime but the ” experts” keep on coming with other futile ways to experiment on this continent. As things stand, this cycle will continue in perpetuity. And so I ask, how can a continent with a vast wealth of mineral resources, leave alone large tracks of fertile agricultural land and a vibrant population be termed as poor? All this is brought about by incessant economic and political manipulation.

Africa’s wealth leave the continent in cheap raw form and return as expensive manufactured goods. This is simply because Africa lacks the necessary technology, capital and machinery to process its raw materials locally and sell them expensively as manufactured goods. The owners of capital and technology lack the goodwill with which African leaders let them take resources to aid the continent in developing its own industries. How can Africans blame them when it is not in their interest to see Africa industrialize? Populations in their countries will loose jobs and their industries will grind to a halt. This means only one thing,they will strive very hard to deny Africa the opportunity to industrialize. Foreigners will go to inconceivable lengths to thwart industrialization in Africa. Africa’s resources are scattered and diverse. Almost as if each country was given just a part of what the continent needs for growth and industrialization. Different countries have different minerals which in some cases compliment each other. Some countries are endowed with fertile Soils while others are typically desert. How then can it be made to work?

Different countries with varying resources must come together to compliment each other to make Africa work. Working in isolation only makes it easy for imperialists to exploit Africa as they have always done. Six decades after independence African leaders should have known better. They should have known that only one thing will work for the continent: UNITY. Countries with good agricultural land should be able to feed the continent with their produce. Agriculture in countries like Nigeria,Ghana,Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania should be improved through technology, funding and proper research to produce nutritional food for the wider continent. If China can feed its 1.4 billion people then Africa too can. After all, the difference in population is negligible. Regrettably, African economies are still looking outward rather than concentrating inwards the same way African leaders look to foreigners for help in almost everything. 60 years after independence, Africans still grow cash crops for European and Chinese industries. Coffee, cotton,cocoa name it. Kenyan and Ethiopian coffee can still be sold in Africa and be profitable. Ghanian cocoa can be sold anywhere in Africa and there still will be a deficit deficit. Why then do African countries grow cash crops for foreign industries?

African countries still grow cash crops for foreign industries because they lack a common market. Africans still grow cash crops for foreign industries because they still saddle themselves with needless borders imposed on them by colonial powers. The continent still lacks a common currency and a comprehensive transport network sixty years after independence. No African central bank in existence and electricity still is a major problem in almost all countries. Without creating these basics needs as Kwame Nkrumah warned no progress will be made. Only political unity will bring the continent out of this economic and social morass. An African Central Bank will come in handy in mobilization of the requisite resources needed to undertake capital-intensive projects across the continent. A good example is the proposed Inga Mega dam project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In current estimates, the building of the dam requires a whooping $80 billion. DRC has been unable to marshal financial resources of this magnitude. It is always difficult and virtually impossible to mobilize such huge amounts of money as a country. This should be a continental project undertaken by all countries since power from this dam will approximately light 40% of the continent. With a working continental central bank, this ambitious project would have happened long time ago. Another project is a trans-African high-speed railway system to enhance faster movement of people and goods. You can as well add installation of solar panels in the Sahara desert. Remember only 1.2% of the Sahara desert is needed to be covered with solar panels to light the whole world. These are just a few examples of beneficial projects for Africans which can only be done in unity as a continent for the benefit of the people. Foreign financers cannot finance them because of the blowback in economic terms in their own countries. So Africa must unite to achieve the necessary capital to do these projects. I’m certain that as a united entity, finance will be available to undertake all these projects. Using foreign finances to finance projects in Africa only benefits the foreign countries and their people in terms of the high interest rates they charge on loans to the continent. Establishing an effective continental central bank will also save the continent from predatory high interest rates charged only on loans advanced to Africa. These can be as high as 20% while other countries in other continents borrow for the same institutions for as low as 2%.

African people are one people in terms of race,so why uphold the outmoded boundaries imposed upon us by the colonial powers? Without borders,and with a comprehensive transport network, onions produced in Niger can be sold in South Africa. Maize produced in Zambia can be sold in Nigeria and so on. This too will improve integration of the African people and promote ingenuity in production. Transport network in Africa is not fully developed and integrated. This is why it is easier to travel out of the continent than within. Africans are still stuck with outward looking infrastructure which aids in exports out of the continent. Individual countries trade with outside world more than they do among themselves. Most of the 54 nations in Africa are not viable. They either lack the technology and finance required for economic growth or lack the population which will be the market. In the same vein, they lack the much- needed capital and machinery with which to extract their minerals. In their desperation,they end up inviting foreign companies which exploit the minerals and leave them with “peanuts.” Any single country in Africa lacks the population which can act as the market and this is why it is easier to export abroad, but the continent of 1.4 billion people cannot be said to lack market. The more reason to unite and enhance integration.

Foreign military bases are abound all over Africa. Almost thirteen countries have their bases in the continent including; USA, UK, Germany, Italy, Japan and even China. There are eleven foreign military bases in the Horn of Africa alone and a big chunk of them are in Djibouti. Djibouti has military bases for China,USA, Japan and the French. One might ask, what is so special about Djibouti or the Horn of Africa? There has been a lot of vexation when French military forces were forced out of Mali and Burkina Faso. It is almost as if they didn’t want to leave. It is widely believed that in a situation like this leaving will be easier. But not the French. In Niger the situation is much more chaotic. They just won’t leave no matter the enormous amount of cajolery deployed by the Nigerien government and the Nigeriens themselves. Why won’t they simply leave? It is because of the resources they are exploiting. The entire continent is divided among foreign powers whose sole aim is exploitation. Some to US, some to France, some to the European union, some to China and others to Russia. They determine the foreign policies, defense policies and even commerce of these countries. It is colonialism all over again disguised as cooperation. That is why most pan Africanists consider the independence of African countries as just that; flag independence.

How then can this situation be remedied? A common defense policy. Africa should have a common defense policy. It is logical to be united militarily as a continent. Such things as assassination of our leaders in the continent by foreign powers as well as deposition of others will stop. Foreign powers will fear the wrath of a combined military forces with numbers and equipment. Some countries in Africa have a small population of less than ten million inhabitants. How can this mount a strong military force to fend off a surging foreign intrusion in it’s territory? It will obviously capitulate in the face of such strong military power. But just imagine this, a military force of over two million people supported with modern military equipment. No single foreign power including NATO can attempt any form of intervention in any country of Africa. Issues like in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso would be solved and no foreign military bases would be in this continent. Sovereign countries do not have foreign military bases in their territories. That’s why there are no foreign military bases in US, China or even Russia.Terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Al- Shabaab and ISIS will be vanquished. It is not a pipe dream. Effective continental border policing will ensure that they don’t receive weapons and that is that, they will be snuffed out. A united continent will be able to provide jobs to the youths thereby luring them away from such organizations. A united military will be able to mobilize resources and ingenuity to manufacture its own weapons suited for the environment and terrain. This can be done. Then, why don’t we? Foreign interference. Africa unity is bad for imperialistic powers. Where will they get cheap raw materials for their industries? Where will they get markets for their manufactured goods? You already know the answer. Everything will be done to ensure Africa doesn’t unite. Of course with the help of local puppets of these imperialistic powers. The puppets are many and in powerful positions. Some are political leaders, both opposition and ruling, military leaders and even powerful religious leaders. Roadblocks have been placed at every turn. It is an uphill task but which must be achieved.

The only way for Africa is unity. It should be achieved through the framework of a common defense policy, a common market and a borderless Africa. First, African leaders must acknowledge that it is about interests. When leaders of China, USA, France, Russia,UK visit this continent it is about their interests and not the love for Africa. They divide Africa among themselves just like they did during the Berlin conference to loot the resources. And that they will never put the interests of the third world before theirs. Each and every African leader must strive hard to wrest control of his country from foreign institutions. Opposition is strong. Kwame Nkrumah was deposed for his role in this. Simon Bolivar’s efforts were frustrated when he tried to unite Latin America. No matter how hard it is, it must be done because the fate of the Black race depends on it.

US government immersed itself into the conflict between Russia and Ukraine when it decided to supply weapons to the Kiev regime and to initiate an economic war against the Russian Federation. However, to be sincere, things have not gone Washington’s way when one looks through the mound of propaganda which is being spewed aimlessly by the aid of mainstream media. The US rallied its allies to help Ukraine in its efforts to fend off Russia’s attack and maintain its territorial integrity. Weapons were supplied by almost fifty states to Ukraine, however,not much has been achieved as Russia still holds about Fifteen percent of Ukrainian territory. Voting in the United Nations General assembly has been the point of much talk. Many countries in Africa,Asia, Caribbean and Latin America have chosen to stay neutral. The big emerging economies like China,India and South Africa have also taken a neutral stance much to the consternation of the western world.

It is true to say that both Russia and the US miscalculated their moves in this conflict. The Kremlin didn’t expect the US to rally around its allies and help Ukraine with weapons, logistics and intelligence. To the Russians this was supposed to take a few days and be over the soonest. The US involvement in this conflict through help to Ukraine might have come as a shock to Russia who were not expecting anything like that. It was supposed to be like the Crimea case in 2014 when Russia annexed the territory without a fight. The military aid to Kiev balanced the odds and erased the David- Goliath kind of scenario seen before. This forced Russia to go back to the drawing board and adapt to the concomitant circumstances. The economic sanctions had an instant impact before the Kremlin drew up measures to stabilize its economy and assure the Russian masses that the ship was stable. The Russian Ruble spiked but later stabilized and surpassed pre-war levels. The western businesses that left Russia due to the war and the ensuing sanctions were replaced with Chinese and Russian enterprises. This maintained employment to Russians. Some western businesses talked of leaving the Russian market but never left while others just changed their names; a loophole in the drafting of sanctions.

President Biden and the leaders of other western countries and their allies like Japan and South Korea expected the sanctions to initiate a massive outflow of capital and cause massive unemployment. This would have forced the Russian populace to rebel and bring down Putin’s regime or to force Russia to change its stance in Ukraine. However,this didn’t happen since Russia reacted in an unexpected way and stabilized the economy first. First, the tanking Ruble was brought to control through asset withdrawal restrictions from the Russian central bank. This means that some assets of western businesses were stuck in Russia to compensate for the Russian assets stuck in the West. Massive and almost immediate outflow of capital is detrimental to any economy. Russia prevented this early on. Russian businesses were quick to replace the leaving businesses so as to maintain employment and prevent mass unemployment. However,some westerners just changed the names of their businesses and continued to operate as usual. Chinese businesses were also helpful in this case by replacing some of the leaving westerners. It seems like this point was summarily overlooked by Washington and its allies. Russia then restricted gas and oil flow to the European union -the lifeblood of the economy of the European union. This economic war was much more subtle than the actual Ukrainian conflict, however, have no doubt,it was as intense as the physical battle. In this battle, the EU seemed to have come out worse with many economies in the EU being predicted to be gearing towards recession. Germany is already in a recession while Britain’s economy has hugely contracted.

Russian economy and Russian war machine have been much more resilient than expected. This despite Russian foreign assets being frozen and Russia-EU trade being drastically reduced. Russia replaced the lost trade with the EU with other partners like China and India who have since remained neutral. This was an unexpected turn of events. The resilience of Russia has emboldened other countries which are enemies of US like Iran, Venezuela China, North Korea,Nicaragua and even Mexico. These countries now know that the US can be beaten and are upping the ante. North Korea has been testing missiles closer to South Korea and Japan frequently than before. The skirmishes between People’s Liberation army of China and the US army in the South China sea has recently increased and the Chinese seems to be sending the message of strength to US. The issues of china’s reunification with Taiwan has increased the gap between these countries. Iran’s leaders are now globe-trotting in South America and Africa looking for allies. Enemies of US are also becoming stronger. Belarus now have Russian tactical nuclear weapons in its borders overlooking Europe.

BRICS has also been another unexpected turn of events. This grouping of Emerging markets including Russia,India, Brazil,China and South Africa has attracted many new would-be members. More than ten countries have applied to join this organization. These include Nigeria,Mexico,Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Bangladesh among others. This means many countries are drifting away from the West and the numerous organizations where the West dominates and its word is the gospel. Even though it is too early to predict anything since there are a lot of intricacies involved,the west should be alarmed. Many countries want nothing to do with their domineering attitude and condescending character. The rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia is also not a good news to US and it’s Allies in the region. Syria has been readmitted into the Arab League against innumerable warnings of the US government. These two events can only mean one thing; that the authority of the US been and is continuously being eroded on the world stage.

The war between Russia and Ukraine has been going on for more than a year and widespread fatigue is already cropping in. It’s apparent that every side expected a short war and a quick victory . However, that was not the case. The senseless war is leisurely dragging itself and might continue to drag for a long time with no clear victory. The contentious issue is the funding for the war. The United States has already given Ukraine more than $75 billion in military, humanitarian and financial support. The US must continue supporting Ukraine for fear of Russia winning. If Russia wins then the power of US dominance will be challenged and vice versa. It seems that the US bit more than she can chew.

Geopolitical forces are shifting and it will be seen who comes out victorious in this momentous shift. It’s not an unexpected turn of events since , everyone knew that at one point the hegemony of the US was to be challenged. Change too will not be a new thing in this modern epoch. After world war two the balance of power shifted to the united States from Britain. Will this also be characterized by a war? Only time will tell.

The fundamental question which most geopolitical analysts frequently ask themselves is whether the new organization,BRICS, will eventually change the power dynamics and dislodge western hegemony from its comfortable throne and usher in a new era of multilateralism which is so much desired by the countries of the global South. This is apparently the chief goal of BRICS as outlined by the foreign ministers of BRICS countries during the BRICS foreign ministers meeting held in Cape town, South Africa in June of 2023. However hard the western countries who are predominantly led by the US try to downplay the BRICS issue, the incontrovertible reality is that they are rattled and seem to have no response whatsoever. The sheer large number of new countries aspiring to join this new body is not a welcome news to the powers that be. The five countries of BRICS already surpass the G7 in terms of GDP and population. BRICS population is 3.24 billion people, about 40% of world population while its GDP is about 31.5% of global GDP. The admission of new members might just be enough to usher in a new era and do away with unilateralism of the western powers.

To put it into some context, BRICS is an organization which was created in 2009 by five countries comprising of Brazil, Russia, Indian, China and South Africa. Its official and major objectives are to uplift and strengthen sustainability, security, development, peace and collaboration but it appears the organization has assumed other objectives unofficially like dedollarization. More and more countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh,Venezuela, Thailand, Uruguay,Mexico among others are already embracing BRICS and actively seeking membership in the organization. Most of these countries were already fed up with the way western countries like US carried out themselves on the international stage. Some of them accuse US and it’s allies of bullying through military by use of NATO like in Libya and financial coercion through Western-backed financial institutions like the World Bank and the IMF. The infamous carrot and stick method. Stick for those countries which Apparently don’t want to fall in line. Apparently,US foreign policy interfered in many countries against their will. This kind of sustained interference in other countries which obviously seemed like a good idea when the US had unchecked power, now summarily appear ill-advised since it is these same countries which want to get away from the collective West as soon as possible and as far away as they can. Of course they will flock to BRICS which appears to be an anti-West coalition.

The war in Ukraine has openly shown US weaknesses and achieved on the overall the opposite of what was expected. While much needed financial support has been given to Ukraine, they are still not able to take back 15% of their territory in the east currently being occupied by the Russians. Western weapons which have always been considered to be superior could not do much either. This has emboldened US enemies who now feels that the US just like other powers can be beaten and outmatched. Some America’s allies have also started to doubt the ability of the US to defend them against enemies. The ending of the war in Ukraine will really have a lasting impact on the losing side. The rhetoric has changed and open defiance to the US has become normal. Most countries in the global south have also not sanctioned and cut ties with Russia as would have been expected citing double- standards from the West. This is an open defiance against the West from the third world countries. While some countries like Iran and South Africa have been accused of supplying weapons to Russia,there are others who have also been accused of helping Russia to successfully circumvent the sanctions. Secluded events such as the welcoming back of Syria to the Arab league and rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia undermine the power and leadership of the US while at the same time strengthening China and BRICS in general. Syria,Iran and Saudi Arabia have all shown interest in joining BRICS.

However, this shift of power from the West to BRICS has also been severely overexaggerated. For sure this mighty power will not go down without a fight and predictions are in the case of a physical war it will be messy. Big western powers like the US, United kingdom and France have powerful weapons in their arsenal including nuclear weapons. Dedollarization will obviously be protracted and might even be unsuccessful in the long run considering the intricacies involved in coming up with a reserve currency and the complex issues between individual member countries. Just recently, Russia and India suspended transactions in their own currencies and India appears not to support the idea of a common currency. Joining BRICS will be a contentious issue for some countries which are enemies like Pakistan and India- India fortunately is already a member. Of course some countries will always be interested in destroying organizations with such magnitude. Lastly, organizations like BRICS have always been there before and they didn’t have much of an impact on the global stage. However, the West should be very alarmed; it might be the beginning of the end.

The Us-Africa leaders summit adds to an unending long list of summits, forums and conferences organized in the name of or about Africa. The three day summit was scheduled to run from 13th to 15th of December. There has been numerous of such summit though this was just the second Us-Africa leaders summit to be held, the first one being held back in 2014. Different countries have went on to organize and hold their own Africa summits during the Us-Africa summit eight year break. Examples include Eu-Africa summit, France-Africa summit, Canada-Africa summit, Turkey-Africa summit,UK-Africa summit and so on. The sheer plenitude of these summits poses a lot of questions than answers. what is so special about Africa? And is it always about Africa or the interests organizing countries? These are just a few chosen questions. Political commentators have in several occasions mentioned that Africa will be at the center of the next century. This might be the most important reason but not the sole one. So once again,why are there so many conferences and summits on Africa?

The wrongs

These conferences are always wrong on many fronts. First,a single country such as Canada, Turkey,Saudi Arabia or even Iran can offer very little to Africa. Lest we forget that Africa is the second largest continent in the world with fifty four countries and a population of 1.3 billion people. So what remarkable assistance can Canada offer to these countries collectively. From this angle I find these forums and summits so much demeaning to Africa and its people. It is invariably accompanied with a stringent colonial mentality. A good example is this year’s Us-Africa leaders summit. The president of the United States Joe Biden is giving 55 billion dollars to African countries in the next three years to cover various sectors of development. This news has been received with much joy but let’s do the math first. In three years that simply implies that each year Africa will receive approximately 18 billion dollars. This must further be apportioned equitably among the forty nine countries attending the summit. After breaking down to its basic element,we find that each country will only receive a fraction of it which might not achieve any significant development as expected.

Another deliberate problem in the organization of these African summit is the location. Virtually all these conferences are organized and hosted in the country of the host. Be it Paris, Beijing or Washington. I mean if it was supposed to be for the benefit of Africa, would it only be prudent if it was hosted in the continent? Everyone has realized that Africa is rich in mineral resources, agricultural land as well as a vibrant market and cheap labour for their commodities and hence all the rush. It is always about the interests of imperialistic states. Conveying these conferences in cool air-conditioned conference rooms in Paris, Berlin or London attended by leaders who have lost touch with the realities in their respective countries does not help the cause of Africans themselves.

Cold war 2.0

A new cold war is upon us and Africa is still the playground for major powers. China, Russia,USA,UK and the EU are all in a race to outdo the other in their imperialistic ambitions. And just like the Berlin conference in which the African cake was divided without African representation, this too seems like a repeat of history. The US is however late just like the Germans during the scramble for Africa. The Chinese are the frontrunners with Russia increasing it’s footprint massively. This year alone has seen numerous American, Russian, Chinese and the European leaders flocking the continent in their quest for supremacy. French president Emmanuel Macron, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov,US secretary of state Anthony Blinken among others have all visited the continent this year. How blessed is Africa! No it’s not a blessing, it’s a curse! Biden has scheduled a sub-saharan Africa tour next year in an effort to extend American reach in Africa.

The Whitehouse has made it clear that the conference is all about Africa and not China or Russia’s involvement in the continent. But,we all know the truth. The US is moving to counter Chinese influence and to a lesser extent Russian. Floyd Austin,the united states defense secretary has categorically warned African leaders at the summit of the destabilizing effect of engaging with China and Russia. In this charm offensive,Biden is offering Africa a chance to become permanent members of the united nations security council and the G20 something the leaders have been calling for a long time. In addition,the us is also promising 55 billion dollars worth of cash over three years. All this in an effort to counter Chinese and Russian influence. Looking at it carefully,the idea that Africa joins both the G20 and the security council as a continent doesn’t auger well with many. The admission should be done on a country by country basis to represent the whole continent. Countries like South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya and Botswana are in their own might worthy of a place at the table. In the case of the us proposition, Africa will be represented by the African Union which has been proven to be incompetent time and again.

This second cold war, unfortunately has all the characteristics of the first one. Neutral countries like non-aligned movement ones are forced to choose between US and China as well as Russia. Leaders are again faced by the same choices as the leaders during the seventies. Choosing one side will be disastrous while playing all powers involved will be an impossible task. However,one thing is clear. Africa is slowly becoming the center of the world and the next century might be Africa’s. Hoodwinking or not, the US, China and Russia have realized that Africa is no longer a pushover.

Numerous communication debacles have not gone unnoticed since the swearing in of president William Ruto. The first fiasco was the diplomatic dilemma Kenya got embroiled in, the first few days of Ruto’s presidency. It essentially began with the president recognizing the presence of the president of Sahrawi Republic during the swearing in ceremony after which a visit by the Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita forced the government to rescind the decision and promising to wind up the visit by Sahrawi delegation. This information which was posted on twitter was later deleted and the government once again stood with their earlier decision of recognizing Sahrawi Republic in line with the AU official position. As of September,2022 only 45 of the 193 countries of the United Nations recognized Sahrawi Arab Republic as a country. The disputed region is mostly controlled by the Moroccan government. This first incident created an undesirable precedent as the government settled. It was the sign of many such communication mismatch to occur.

Communication by prominent government officials such as the cabinet secretaries has also been ceaselessly out of order. Various government officials have had to withdraw their earlier statements after it didn’t go well with the general public. The education cabinet secretary Dr. Machogu and Aisha Jumwa, public service, affirmative action and gender cabinet secretary have within a short period found themselves reversing their declarations made just days earlier after being ceremoniously sworn in. These were what most political analysts regarded as roadside pronouncement befitting only of political roadside rallies. Dr. Machogu announced the stopping of government subsidy for university education while Aisha Jumwa promised to increase the salaries of all civil servants. This kind of gratuitous rhetoric has been preponderant in this new administration.

In the thanksgiving ceremonies held by president William Ruto,he has been faulted for continuously promising to carry out unfeasible projects in the areas where the ceremonies are being held. The number of these appealing promises are increasing day by day while the campaign pledges seem to have been abandoned sooner than expected. The deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has also been persistently castigated for being unprofessional in delivering speeches and continuously attacking the former president Uhuru Kenyatta and former prime minister Raila Odinga as well as incessantly lamenting about the situation back then. All these points to the lack of or incompetency of the government communication sector to effectively carry out their duty. The last and the latest example is related to the issue of GMOs. The trade investment and industry cabinet secretary made very amateurish remarks regarding GMOs and this has ignited a debate in the social, political and economic circles. The statement was not befitting of a government official whether it was meant as a joke. A cabinet secretary saying that nothing is wrong with adding GMOs to the long list of things that compete to kill Kenyans was unheard of. This was a new low as far as communication is concerned.

All these communication failures point to the glaring issue of a lack of a sound communication policy within the higher echelons of power. It can also be as a result of the incompetency of those tasked primarily regulating government communication. Every government department has a communication sector whose sole duty is to streamline what comes out of our institutions and our leaders. The communication by top government officials should be streamlined in a manner that is ethical and professional. The communication should also be synchronized with government policy and sustainable development plans. In summary government officials should speak with one voice. Remember government officials are the face of a country and its top ambassadors. The case of Sahrawi Republic almost blew up relationship between Kenya and Morocco and could have become a diplomatic catastrophe for Kenya as a country. Such should be quickly remedied through efficient communication and future cases prevented to through timely and systematic communication.

A communication policy outlines important aspects of communication for any organization. Questions like who speaks for the government? What types of information should be divulged to the public? And the channels and modes to be used are all answered by the policy. These cases could have been avoided if there was a strong national communication policy in place. Although Kenya Information and Communication Act provides for information to be provided for Kenyans online,it is imperative that important information is not passed through the social media. Lastly, leaders should be thoroughly enlightened and informed on the intricacies of public interaction and information sharing.

Russia has temporarily suspended the grain deal negotiated by Turkiye and the United Nations back in July. The abrupt suspension does not however come as a surprise to many since the Kremlin had been constantly warning that it might arbitrarily take the unilateral decision of suspending the deal indefinitely. The complaints included the fact that the other part of the bargain in Russia’s favor was not being carried out and many of the countries Russia consider hostile to them were benefitting instead of the poor nations facing hunger due to famine. This has been consistently said by the Russian regime for quite sometimes. They insisted that the deal was negotiated in favor of millions in middle east and Africa who were faced with dire consequences of climate change. The last nail on the coffin of the agreement was the latest attack on the Black Sea fleet of the Russian Federation based at the Sevastopol port by Ukrainian unmanned vehicles. The Sevastopol port is the only warm water port Russia has as the rest of their ports freeze during most parts of the year. This an unexpected attack further exacerbates the already tense situation.

Western leaders and institutions have strongly condemned this move by the Russian regime. Most of them have consequently blamed Putin for weaponizing food in his war. The main narrative is firmly banked on African countries starving because of this decision by Russia. Most western media have also aggressively proffered this narrative in their news bulletin and debates. However, is it the truth? The grain deal has been active since July when it was signed by Russia, Ukraine and Turkiye and approximately nine million tonnes of grain has been exported out of Ukraine ever since. The question is just about how much of it has found itself in Africa or the middle east. The Ukrainian data shows that a bigger percentage of grain during this initiative has gone to rich countries in Europe. The United Nations acknowledges that less than 30% has gone to poor countries in Africa and middle east while more than 60% has made its way to rich countries mostly in Europe. Russian president Vlamir Putin however estimates the number to be around 3-5% only to Africa and 80% to Europe. The truth is the first casualty of war and we might not be able to verify which information is true but one thing is certain; poor countries were not the main destinations for the Ukrainian grain. They were just a pawn used to ensure that the Black Sea corridor was opened while grain went the other way. Countries which faced hunger are still facing it regardless of the situation in the Black Sea corridor. The most astounding aspect of it all is the fact that Africa is at the top of the agenda in terms of hunger but grain doesn’t reach them.

As an African my problem is with the degrading position the continent has been relegated to. Africa is used negatively so that the rich countries can acquire the grain to arrest the prices of their commodities while it doesn’t benefit the poor. The grain deal was opened mainly for the sake of Middle Eastern and African nations as Putin puts it in his speeches but have the continents really benefitted? It was a farce and it still is. The narrative is profoundly portraying Putin as a liar but in this can we say that he is lying?. Africa was used and it’s being used again. Furthermore,the Russian Federation has promised poor nations around 500 metric tonnes of free wheat in the next four months. It is a reaction to stopping the grain deal so that the poor can get it directly. It is time the west live upto their self-imposed commitments and refrain from using other people for their own aggrandizement.

What next for the grain deal? The deal will certainly be brought back after renegotiation. The Kremlin will demand that the other half of the deal be met and grain be delivered more to the poor countries in Africa and Middle East. One factor which is not certain is the exact time of this second deal. Turkiye president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to negotiate with both parties to ensure the continuity of food exports from both countries. When food products from both countries is allowed in the market then global inflation might be arrested. Let it be known that Russia is a bigger food basket than Ukraine and blocking its food exports is detrimental to the world. Lastly, Africa’s name should not be used for blackmail and cheap propaganda. A lot of exaggeration is employed when engaging the continent. It is a continent of 54 countries and most countries are better off and only a few like Somalia are actually in a bad state. Moreover, Africa’s diet is diverse and wheat and it’s products is at the tail end of it. Stop propaganda and blackmail of Africa.

From its inception in 2013, the Belt and Road initiative(BRI) has provided the much needed infrastructural financing to most poor countries in Africa, Europe,Asia and the Pacific. Chinese state-owned banks have invariably bankrolled the development of these significant infrastructure through loans to countries where infrastructure was virtually non-existent and to some where it was in a moribund state. These tremendous infrastructure include roads,ports, railroads and even the hospitals as well as housing facilities. There is no denying the fact that Africa as a notable beneficiary has received an astronomical facelift in a short period of time. There are roads where there were none,rail infrastructure has suddenly become ubiquitous and massive ports are coming up. However,this strategy has come under intense criticism by some foreign entities who consider it the use of “debt trap diplomacy.” According to most of the critics,”debt trap diplomacy” is a scenario where the Chinese government is purportedly trying to ensnare and trap the poor of the poorest in a never-ending cycle of debt. It also fundamental part of the soft power policy Of the Chinese. Of particular interest is that most of these criticism comes from the west who are arch nemesis to China in the rat race for global economy domination. So it’s better to debunk and know whether what is out there in the media is either the truth or propaganda instigated by the Chinese competitors.A closer look of Chinese investment in Africa particularly during the Belt and Road initiative period shines a light upon the whole Chinese adventure in Africa. The development projects in infrastructure have improved face of Africa massively. Roads have improved,ports, airports,dams and even skylines have sprung up in places where there not before. Most Africans are not bothered by the increase of Chinese in continent since change has been evident. There presence of Chinese has brought with it more goodies than several decades of European influence in the continent. The subsequent evidence of growth in infrastructure which is crucial for overall economic growth has bolstered the relationship between the two countries. A study by Afrobarometer has revealed that 63% of Africans feel the presence of the Chinese has been somewhat positive compared to 60% of the USA. Putting it into context,the USA has been rich all through and has been present in the continent for decades with no positive changes.

A closer look of Chinese investment in Africa particularly during the Belt and Road initiative period shines a light upon the whole Chinese adventure in Africa. The development projects in infrastructure have improved the face of Africa greatly. The value of China-Africa trade has increased rapidly to 22 billion US dollars. A research done by Statista has shown that China constituted about 16% of all the Foreign direct investment (FDI) coming to Africa in the period between 2014 to 2018. It has dwarfed all the others, followed at a distance by the USA and France each at 8%. The presence of Chinese has brought with it more goodies than several decades of European influence in the continent. The subsequent evidence of growth in infrastructure which is crucial for overall economic growth has bolstered the relationship between the two countries and between individual African countries. Development of infrastructure has improved intra-Africa which has been an Achilles heel on the development of the entire continent. A study by Afrobarometer has revealed that 63% of Africans feel the presence of the Chinese has been positive compared to 14% who consider it negative or somewhat negative. Putting it into context,the USA has been rich all through and has been present in the continent for decades with no positive changes. The available data shows that Sino-African relations have been beneficial to all the parties involved.

Claims that debt trap diplomacy is being used China to trap poor countries are unfounded and contrary to the available facts. Chinese loans accounts for only 12% of the $696 billion external debt owed by African countries while western private lenders account for 35%. This show that the constant rants by western media and institutions about Chinese “debt trap” are just propaganda instituted by the fact that Africa finds itself the center of domination struggle among different powers. Chinese loans carry with them lower interest rates as compared to the high rates of western lenders. Average interest rates on loans for Africa by the Chinese is 2.7% while the average interest rates for loans from private western lenders is 5%. From these data one can get a glimpse of who really are helping the continent move forward. Africans feeling that China is a better partner do so because of the evidence of growth since China first widen the scope of their involvement with the continent. The BRI is not actually the first intervention and entanglement between Africa and China. China has maintained close contact with the continent since around the fifteenth century when Admiral Zheng He of the Ming dynasty reached Malindi in his historic voyages. In 1971,26 African countries supported China in its quest to take over the UN seat from Taiwan. Chinese influence is thus motivated by friendship,trade opportunities and diplomacy.

Dambisa Moyo,in her book titled,Dead Aid which was published back in 2009 before the conception of BRI says that one of the ways to move Africa out of its current state is through intensive use of foreign direct investment. This is what China is using as part of it’s playbook in funneling investment to developing nations. Foreign direct investment curtails the ability of corrupt leaders to swindle development funds for their own use. On the contrary, foreign aid which has been used over and over again producing same piteous results by western world has led to the economic deterioration and increase in poverty all around. Political elite use borrowed money for their own benefit and comfort. They use development finances to buy expensive property in the developed world. A good example is Mobutu Ssese Seko,the former dictator of DRC. He swindled the country around $15 billion which was given as foreign aid. Foreign direct investment policy used by the Chinese ensures that there is value for loans. Dams,roads,rails, airports e.t.c. But what does the western world show for their presence?

China does not force any country to take loans from them. There are many institutions and government who are in this loan business. Any country can take loans to finance their development programs from any entity they deem fair. The majority of African countries taking loans from China shows that they view China as a worthy partner when it comes to development investment. The Chinese do not try to impose their will and policies on loan recipients whereas western world loans come with conditions which affect negatively the countries involved. Currently, countries like Kenya and Haiti are forced to abandon subsidy program which was helpful to the citizens of these countries. Life becomes unbearable and anti-government protests ensue which creates instability and lawlessness. Criticisms labelled against China are also worth noting but the blame must fully lie with the recipient country. Chinese loans are shadowed by absolute secretiveness with few people knowing about them because Chinese economy is a closed one. Very little data and information escapes to the public. Any country which doesn’t fancy this must stand up to it and demand that the deals are openly accessible. If the leaders don’t put this issue forward then who would they blame for their incompetence?

The Chinese are far from perfect but it is no denying the fact that their intervention has been positive to the continent. Just one month ago,the Chinese government decided to waive loans from 17 poor countries in an effort to unburden their financial constraint situation. All these efforts point to the fact that they are really trying to foster development among poor countries. The geopolitical world is full of countries trying to get the best deals for their citizens so good leaders must also stand firm with their citizens. Criticism must be substantiated and not be solely based on political propaganda.