Here, Remi Adekoya writes on analysis by French President, Emmanuel Macron, of Africa’s “real” problem being “civilizational” [demography, democracy, and failing states]. In summary, he agrees: “That’s not racism; that’s reality.” He also makes good point that Africans must earn respect we demand through economic success as Asia has done, by facing these “real” problems rather than blame colonialism and slavery that had disadvantaged Africa.
It is this ending remark that reminds us of question asked of self-described “complex thinker” Macron (the how?), which Remi leaves unaddressed: “Marshall Plan for Africa,” a similar economic development plan to that for Europe financed by United States after horror of Second World War.
The U.S. Secretary of State, George Marshall, had received immense criticism for his plan that at the time had seemed like rewarding the continent of Europe for bad behaviour. Twice in two decades Europeans had wasted over 80 million lives on the continent, millions more were wounded and left grieving alongside families of fatherless children in what was an overwhelming precarious existence of food shortages and disease, wherein noble ranks had slimmest chances of matching pre-war life quality due to drastic population reduction and ruined economies. What will stop Europeans from pursuing this road to self-annihilation again with WWIII if us Americans were to just handover billions of US taxpayers’ dollars like we did after WWI?
Marshall, and few like-minded economists, overturned public opinion, explaining chiefly that, not only was it a moral obligation to help Europe, whence most Americans originated, it was against America’s economic interests to leave their number one export market, Europe, poor and unable to purchase American products at pre-war levels. It will affect American jobs and stagnate the economy. Like Monopoly board game, when co-players are bankrupted and aren’t bailed out, the game ends — capitalism dies. “Marshall Plan” was put into effect tying United States and European markets, eliminating trade barriers (import tariffs, deregulation of business etc), pumping investment into modern technology, signing North Atlantic Treaty (NATO) to ensure aggressors, Russia and Germany, were unable to upset Europe’s prosperity ever again; a prosperity that with formation of European Union has now spread from Central Europe to former Eastern Bloc countries with Poland set to be fastest growing EU economy by 2050.
Much is made of infrastructures in cities of some Asia-Pacific countries and Persian Gulf that rivals what's obtained in cities of former colonizers, a desire Remi undoubtedly has for Africa. But what if American and European manufacturers, instead moving their production hub to Asia in mid-eighties — of course to maximise profits on back of non-existent labour laws and low wages in Asia, and conscious desire in the occident to move citizens away from factory jobs to “high-paying jobs” in financial and services sectors — that critical symbiotic move toward Asia (or, as above toward Europe 70 years ago) was stalled by “civilizational” analysis, sheer sophistry?
Jeffrey Sachs, in his bestselling book The End of Poverty — How we can make it happen in our lifetime, identified the four stages of economic development: “higher capital stock, greater specialisation, more advanced technology, and lower fertility.” Talks of fertility reduction in Africa begs the question. My grandmother had twelve kids, only 2 made it into adulthood. Improved health provisions, which a booming economy will provide, will reduce birth rates.
Private investments must be poured into Africa, and tax and regulatory policies designed to create trade equilibrium between Africa and developed markets, thereby, consciously improving quality of life of the African. EU phasing out tariffs on African farm-produce exported into EU market is a good start. I've come across Senegalese mangoes and South African oranges on UK supermarket shelves. EU can go further and end “Common Agricultural Policy” (American farmer’s subsidies too) undercutting African farmers in the global market. But are “uncivilised” Africans worth decline of French farming, reduced profits for multinationals mining basically tax-free in Africa and are their lungs worth saving?
Spoken word precedes action. Germany’s “Marshall Plan with Africa” (yet sketchy) is already on the table — private sector investment instead of aid — to tie European and African economies. It’s what occasioned that question to France’s Macron, at the Hamburg G-20 summit, who’d described colonisation as “crime against humanity.” It may be same reason the boyish-looking President, now likened to Louis XIV ego-wise, diminished the valid question Trump-style, perhaps nudging Angela Merkel to rethink. After all, it’s similar linking of the occident and Asia, outsourcing manufacturing three decades ago that has produced backlash in de-industrialised America and Europe, birthing President Trump, and saw Macron face far-right Marine Le Pen for French presidential race.
Comments
Post a Comment