China has amazingly transformed into a modern economy in the last 20 years. Photo/REUTERS
One of the surest ways Africa can benefit from interaction with China is for Africans to study the Chinese language.
The role China is currently playing in the development of Africa warrants that Chinese language be taught in African schools and universities.
China has amazingly transformed into a modern economy in the last 20 years.
Last month, Kenya received Sh960 million, part of Sh29.45 billion China has advanced to Kenya in the recent past.
China has in the last 20 years launched ambitious programmes centred on doubling development assistance to Africa, making it the continent’s largest trading partner.
African states should prioritise Chinese language due to a number of reasons.
The first reason is the fact that China presently extracts most of its raw materials from Africa.
A survey of China-Africa involvement indicates the presence of China in the Southern Sudan, the swamps of Niger Delta, and even the Atlantic coast of Benin where night and day oil rigs produce oil.
Further, Chinese involvement in the virgin forests of Liberia, Cameroon, Mozambique and Congo, where local Africans and Chinese chop down thousands of hectares of trees for timber to be shipped to state owned saw mills in faraway provinces such as Sichua.
As these resources get exploited, there is need for correspondence and clear understanding of each other directly, other than through interpreters.
Secondly, the need for proper communication with China lies in the mining industry.
Copper smelters and iron ore mines in Zambia and Gabon, stood idle for a generation, but are now working again under Chinese ownership.
In Ghana, Botswana, and South Africa, China’s insatiable demand for minerals has opened up new markets for mineral products.
Thirdly, everywhere in Africa we are faced with cheaper Chinese produced imports.
Many observers, in short, think and argue in the age old story for Africa, that China is stripping Africa of its resources to the benefit of a few fabulously wealthy leaders while ordinary citizens are left with a barren heritage.
But there is another side to the Chinese story.
One that belies the moral certainties of the simple fable exploitation.
In addition to new public buildings serving the needs of politicians and bureaucrats in African capitals, these same Chinese constructions firms are also building dozens of hospitals and schools, and most of all, hundreds of miles of tarmac roads and railway tracks.
And more critical to Africa and which should prompt learning of Chinese language is military co-operation .
Chinese assistance to Africa is also prominent in terms of peace keeping.
Learning Chinese as a language should be driven by the recent decision to expand China’s foreign assistance programmes in Africa to include a Chinese Volunteer Youth Corps.
The writer is a lecturer at the University of Nairobi.
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