Tag: Development

By Musanjufu Benjamin Kavubu

China and many African countries have shared a history regarding the sense of imperialism and colonialism. China was not so long ago under the colonial rule of Japan and some of its territories like Hong Kong under Britain. China’s Communist Party set an example and also went ahead to support African independence struggles. Even with its rich history, China can be credited with the front of economic growth that has a basis on the political will of CPC and its leaders from the days of Chairman Mao to to-date where CPC Secretary General and President of China Xi Jinping advocates for building a community with shared prosperity for mankind.

Like every global player for China Africa is part of its economic playground and places like Uganda are both its geopolitical and geo-economic outposts. One may then wonder if Uganda is just a pony on a grander chessboard. It depends on how you watch events and the perceived results. What makes news is Beijing’s economic strategy and it’s in a few cases in the past decades save for its ambitions unify its claimed territory of Taiwan when China’s military strategy has come under the world’s microscope. Even with the military bases in the South China Sea and some off the African coast, the answer is supply chain interests that facilitate its trade with the world. Put differently, China has never been a coloniser and to date, if critically analysed, Beijing bears no such ambitions but rather win-win cooperation where countries world over benefit from a win-win cooperation under world order where each country’s sovereignty is respected!

Unlike the British Empire that is only visible today through a shadow of Common Wealth nations that kicked off with military expeditions and remained in place with the power of the gun and the United States hegemony that has a thirst for energy resources also backed with senseless wars, China has had this supposed strong foothold on the world and places like Uganda with no boots on the ground in terms of soldiers or even private contractors. China chooses economic diplomacy and it has run lately on projects like the famous Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Maltiplarism through BRICS a block made up of Brazil, Russia, India China and South Africa which unlike the G7, BRICS advocates for equality of all countries as well as respect for all irrespective of their size or military might.

Nothing has brought criticism to Beijing like the true intentions of the Belt and Road Initiative a project that has seen China seriously considering and supporting developing countries’ infrastructure development loans to among others construct, sea ports, airports, rail line networks and roads from Africa to Americas, from Asia to Europe all aimed to facilitating trade. This development has arguably revolutionized developing countries’ infrastructure development which organisations like world bank have continuously said they receive very low funding despite being key in social-economic development aspect.

Sadly, some people claim BRI is about China taking out raw materials and bringing back low-quality products through its massive web of the supply chain, with other critics of China especially from the West who often cherry-pick and ignore reality and brand China’s generous infrastructure development assistance as “debt trap.”

 

For a moment picture this China through EXIM bank provides a loan to Uganda to construct a hydropower dam on the Nile River, in the process technology is imported and at the end of it, all rural electrification is achieved which will facilitate industrialisation leading to employment, in turn creating a population with disposable income that is used to develop microeconomics of households that bring further education and research in the academia field. It’s from such initiatives that a real middle class is a bred that will in the end consume quality Chinese products because of the disposable income. The question is who wins? A real middle class that pays taxes will in the long run offset the loan for the dam, a real middle class will trade and create a functional society. A functional society has no appetite for civil war or trade in arms and that will ensure civility and a level of peacetime. That sounds like true economic development!

In the past two decades, Ugandans that speak Mandarin have increased and it’s not because it’s part of the school syllabus even if they are few language schools in Kampala that offer to teach it. The main reason for Mandarin in Africa is the increased scholarships that Beijing is offering. There is a likelihood that every Uganda knows someone close who has travelled to China for education on a fully Chinese government funded scholarship. When these people return after studying, they have contributed to the local academia and thus bettering the educational sector that is very fundamental in economic development. Whatever China’s foreign agenda policy is behind shipping Ugandans to China educating them and sending them back it’s to our society’s advantage in the long run.

China has a thirst and also a shortage for oil in its massive industrialization scheme and on that note, it’s watched carefully through its activities on the energy market. CNOC is one of the partners of Uganda in the oil sector and the company’s efforts can’t be downplayed in the facilitation of black gold’s take-off in the country. It’s a writing on the wall that if the oil sector is handled well by the state and its full potential is realised, then it will overturn the economic prospects of the nation. Today, many Ugandans in Albertine region have already seen fruits from oil sector especially through CNOC’s cooperate social responsibility where social services for communities are looked at as well as employment opportunities! The other most striking example are modern houses CNOC constructed for people affected by oil project in Kingfisher oil field.

Uganda like most African countries will seem like small pieces in China’s economic strategy but the reality these tiny pieces are useful and all need to work. China at some point will even go beyond its comfort zone to ensure these pieces function as expected beyond United Nations Security Council speeches where it’s a permanent member. It is important that the war in Ukraine and the new world order on the horizon led by players like China Kampala maintain a strong relationship with Beijing to realise further economic development.

While China’s critics and Sino-Africa skepticists especially in the West claim that China’s engagement with African countries is guided by what they claim to be Beijing’s “selfish interests” at times with absurd claims that most African countries have received fewer tangible benefits from China relations the reality is that where greatly or otherwise, tangible or otherwise, China-Africa relations are working and wonders are being created! The fact that China respects African countries sovereignty and that these relations are based on equality not the West’s assumed big brother role, African countries should jealously guard these relations! As African countries demand for equality and permanent representation at the UN security Council, it is clear that China at some point will ensure this dream becomes a reality by supporting Africans as they did while Africans fought against brutal colonial rulers.

Musanjufu Benjamin Kavubu is a Junior Research Fellow at Sino-Uganda Research Centre.

 

By Shemei Ndawula

Mugerwa Joseph is a natural born story teller, perched on his wooden stool, his hand nestled absentmindedly in his prickly black beard stubble, one would be forgiven if they wouldn’t believe he’s one of the most influential personalities in Uganda’s flower industry, running two successful flower shops and wholesale flower depots as well as an accomplished events planner.

But once you hear him speak, you catch a glimpse of a savvy business man whose vision and ambition led him, with little formal education and financial grounding from the dusty backroads in rural Mityana, Uganda to what he describes as “the world’s largest floristry market” in Guangzhou, China.

His colleagues jokingly refer to him as a Ugandan-Chinese because his TV set in the florist is always tuned into Chinese news station CGTN and he’s always quick to offer insight on the news stories relying heavily on his experiences in China, he often has a rapt audience listening to his stories as he extrapolates, in a deep sagely voice, his Chinese experience.

When I first met him, he was emphatically detailing the meals he used to have while on the Asian continent, he was saying (the following words are translated and paraphrased from Luganda which is his main language of communication) “as a Ugandan in China, the easiest meal to get is chicken, we ate so much chicken we almost got tired of it, I see you people excited by these restaurants like KFC but in China, these are very normal things, in fact, we would have to take a train from our area in Guangzhou to go have Ugandan food like Matooke” he exclaimed to  his enrapt audience.

Mr Mugerwa’s first trip to China was a decade ago. This was after close to eight years working as an apprentice florist in Kampala for one of the earliest commercial flower companies in the country and deciding he wanted more.

During his early days in Guangzhou, Mr Mugerwa was fascinated by the technological and artistic innovations he came across. He marveled at the efficient and fast transportation systems, the modern buildings, and the use of digital technology in almost everything and most importantly the advanced manufacturing capabilities of the Chinese synthetic flower industries which could make high quality artificial flowers with the appearance and texture of natural flowers.

Inspired by this, he would take long walks around Guangzou flower market in the evenings trying to learn and soak in everything he could about the industry, which would later prove to be a game-changer for his florist business in Kampala.

He was mind blown by the abundance of affordable high-quality flower accessories that he’d possibly never have imagined while in Uganda. This sparked a new idea in him. He was quick to establish contacts in Guangzou despite the language barrier (he is still predominantly a Luganda speaker) and because of the amazing business acumen that has come to define the Chinese bilateral trade, he had access to many high-quality goods at heavily discounted prices many of the sellers even offering the enthusiastic fast talking Ugandan businessman credit facilities.

Using his contacts in Guangzhou, he imported his first shipment; a great haul with floral wrappers, ornamental vases, decorative linens and realistic artificial flowers many of which were novel to the country which sparked a revolutionary ripple in the local Ugandan floristry industry.

With his new-found business knowledge and a steady supply of affordable high-quality flower accessories, Mr Mugerwa’s florist business in Kampala has been on the up and up since his first trip to China. Because of the great bilateral friendship between Uganda and China, Mr Mugerwa is able to import high quality goods from factories in China at low costs and resale them at affordable prices in Kampala, a win-win partnership with his Chinese suppliers which has turned the ambitious Mityana youth into an astute businessman expanding his first florist with a second flower shop which deals exclusively in events management and decoration as well as a second wholesale flower depot. Additionally, the floristry ideas and techniques he picked up from China have also made him one of the best creative florists in Kampala and doubtless an unassailable force in the industry.

The story of Mr Mugerwa is no strange outlier. Countless Ugandan lives have been positively impacted by the great Sino-Ugandan partnership over the last six decades. From business men like Mr Ntumwa Birimumaso of Ubuntu Cafe, to scientists like Engineer Rita Nasaazi a petroleum expert, and agricultural and bamboo enthusiast Mr Andrew Ndawula Kalema of Talent orchards.

Often when we discuss diplomacy, bilateral trade and foreign policy, it is easy to get lost in the statistics and figures as well as heavy sounding diplomatic diction that we may at times forget the faces behind the statistics and the voices behind the economic trends. Every unique story like Mr Mugerwa’s is a vote of confidence in the special bilateral friendship that Uganda and China share and a promise of what we can achieve by working together, the promise of the CCP leadership in China and the people of Uganda, a friendship of mutual benefit, cooperation and development that’s echoed in the China’s infrastructure support in Africa especially under the Belt and Road Initiative  and the established preferential trade agreement between China and African countries.

It is said that one of the greatest achievements of the ancient Chinese was to build The Great Wall of China; I believe, in retrospect, the future may perceive the greatest achievement of modern-day China as The Great Bridge of China; the great bilateral friendship that connects so many countries to the People’s Republic of China bridging the gap between dreamers and opportunity, a win-win partnership.

Shemei Ndawula is a senior Research Fellow, Sino-Uganda Research Centre