I Believe FT is atm a bit like Scomo, the minister of everything.
However, FT is atm in Doha planting trees and drumming up business.
The DRC sees in the Persian Gulf states a large pot of gold ready for the milking, however them Arabs are not that silly.
And China??
African bosses want to see EU strengthen its presence, survey finds
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Economic leaders in Africa want to see the European Union (EU) strengthen its presence on the continent, far more than China and Russia, according to a survey by the French think tank Choiseul. Of 314 business leaders, heads of foreign subsidiaries or senior executives interviewed, representing 34 nationalities, more than half (53%) cite the EU as the first partner they would like to have by 2050, according to this survey published Tuesday. This is more than three times more than China, which has become a major investor on the continent in recent years (16% of respondents), the United States (11%) and Russia, which only 3 % would like to see foreign partners at the forefront. “African leaders perceive the European desire to be more interested in Africa,” comments the president of the Choiseul Institute, Pascal Lorot.
The EU wants to boost its investments in sectors of the future such as digital technology and energy through the “Global gateway” initiative, particularly in Africa, a European response to the Chinese “New Silk Roads” program. More than half of the leaders questioned in this survey consider the European initiative “promising”. “The Covid has also been there, the war in Ukraine too, and we have seen the weight of dependencies. Today these leaders say that geographical proximity will allow a shortening of flows,” continues Pascal Lorot.
China withdraws from Africa
A competitor to Europe, China is experiencing “a setback” in Africa, the leader also observes. Beijing has notably reduced its loans on the continent in the face of the difficulties of certain countries in repaying them, or even payment defaults like in Zambia. The Chinese presence on the continent is still considered “necessary” by 42% of economic leaders questioned in this survey. Within the EU, Africans especially want to see Germany play a prominent role (69%), ahead of France (61%) and Spain (16%). European investors remain by far the largest holders of foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks in Africa, according to statistics from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for 2022. The United Kingdom (released of the EU in 2021) was in the lead with 60 billion dollars, ahead of France and the Netherlands with 54 billion dollars each.
By Le Figaro with AFP
Fuck China.
