In the past couple of decades, since the end of colonisation, there has been a scramble for a piece of Africa through pseudo-colonisation by the West. The West has resorted to subtle acts of exploitation on the continent due to the immense economic potential in Africa.
Africa has a vast array of natural resources and huge human capital. On a global scale, the United Nations Environment Programme estimates the continent to have 40% of global gold deposits and about 90% of its chromium and platinum. Africa houses the largest reserves of cobalt, diamonds, platinum and uranium. It is home to 65% of the earth’s arable land and 10% of the internal renewable freshwater source. It also holds 30% of the global mineral reserves, 8% of natural gas and 12% of the oil reserves.
By 2030, Africa will be home to over a quarter of the global population under 25 years, making up 60% of the African total population, PwC research shows. By then, 15% of the world’s working population will reside in Africa. The continent would house the biggest workforce on the globe. These are some of the reasons why Africa matters to the Big 5.
The Big 5 are countries recognised as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, also known as the Permanent Five or P5. They include China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US). They are the five sovereign states that established the United Nations Charter of 1945 and to whom the Charter grants a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
These countries were all Allies in World War II (and the victors of that war). All five states have the most nuclear weapons. they also have the power of veto, enabling any of them to prevent the adoption of any “substantive” draft Council resolution, regardless of its level of international support.
Whether these countries are still core allies or not is a discourse for another day. But it’s safe to mention that while China and Russia are allies, France, the US and the UK tend to stick together. Despite the factionalised alliances of the Big 5, what they do have in common is a vested interest in Africa.
Africa is a foreign policy priority for the Big 5 countries. Interestingly, there seems to be a quest for dominance on the continent among all five. Historical records have shown how they subtly gained control of the continent’s resources through financing and material aid. In most cases, some African countries have had to repay loans with mineral resources – to their detriment.
Let’s take China for instance. Research by the SAIS China Africa Research Initiative (SAIS-CARI), revealed the volume and complexities of Chinese loans to Africa. “From 2000 to 2018, the Chinese government, banks and contractors signed $148 billion worth of loan commitments with African governments and their state-owned enterprises (SOEs),” it wrote. More so, the Chinese government does not release official data on its loan finance, export credits, or official development assistance on a regional or country basis. According to the research, some projects and in-kind flows are financed as grants. But, the majority of the Chinese non-equity finance in Africa comes as loans.
As of 2020, the African countries with the highest Chinese debt were Angola ($25 billion) Beijing’s biggest loan recipient, Ethiopia ($13.5 billion), Zambia ($7.4 billion), the Republic of the Congo ($7.3 billion), and Sudan ($6.4 billion).
Furthermore, Russia has doubled its trade with African countries to a ton of $20 billion annually between 2015 and 2022. While China finances infrastructural development in Africa, Russia trades in security. Russia has managed to intensify its military involvement in Africa. During the first Russia-Africa Summit in 2019, Moscow partnered with over 30 African countries to supply military equipment. Also, businesses, including state-backed commercial interests, have invested heavily in security sectors, technology and industries that extract natural resources such as oil and gas, gold, and other minerals.
Like Russia, the French involvement in Africa tilts toward military support. Whereas, the US and US tend to have settled within the lines of creating export and import trade routes on the continent to foster economic development.
