With only so many days left till we enter 2010, this new year will mark the last year of the first decade of the new millennium. In terms of global economy, over the decade, our great country has witnessed some devastating economic effects of the mostly FAILED World Bank and UN project on Africa called the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). These goals meant to be buttressed by policies and theories developed by economists in remotely located Washington DC were imposed on the vast majority of the 53 African countries. In essence, we are the guinea pigs and our African nations are testing grounds for these Western institutions,namely the World Bank and IMF.

This memorable decade has also seen a sharp increase in Asian, and particularly Chinese, involvement in the economy of Africa. This increased involvement mimic the Asian countries' own burgeoning economies and consequent need for material and mineral resources for their vast population and manufacturing sector. Their "no strings attached" deals that promise zero interference in politics (they don't care if the country is run by dictators or has high records of human right violations) is very enticing to the typical African leadership. Of course they don't come at no cost. In exchange for investment in infrastructure, countries such as the Republic of Guinea, are required to forfeit their entire mineral deposit to China at a fixed price for up to 100 years!! China is a large country will a large amount of people, imagine the rate at which they will extract and how long it will take for most natural resources (presently our sole source of wealth) to be depleted this cheaply?

The question for us all then as 2010 draws near is this: Thinking in general and in the long term, when will all this stop? when will we stop agreeing to receiving the short end of the stick because we are desperate for help? when will our continent rise in defiance against the "Dark Continent" label Henry Morton Stanley and the rest of the world have stamped on us? which way forward?

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caption for attached image:
Lagos, Nigeria, 2007. A man who runs an industrial empire that includes 15 factories with more than 1,600 workers, construction companies, hotels and restaurants draws shade while supervising the operation. NYT

Of course they don't come at no cost. In exchange for investment in infrastructure, countries such as the Republic of Guinea, are required to forfeit their entire mineral deposit to China at a fixed price for up to 100 years!! China is a large country will a large amount of people, imagine the rate at which they will extract and how long it will take for most natural resources (presently our sole source of wealth) to be depleted this cheaply?

the chinese are the masters of shady biz, even the grants that they have been giving up and down the place, when they give u money, say, to build a railway, they specify that the money must be used to employ a chinese company to build the railway. . .etc. why do you think we have so many chinese companies executing projects in nigeria, when we all know they are the masters of cutting costs

hmm

@picture

The Chinese are making fools of us heh.

Mmmnn not again

Arabs, Whites, Asians now too


I guess its the White mans fault for this too. Poor us. We are helpless brainless victims. History keeps repeating itself and we refuse to learn .