Scramble For Africa Reloaded: Lights, Camera, Action.

China's partnership with Africa, including our very own Kenya has been very welcoming and trusting to many powers in the first world. Global powers both old and new, are jostling for influence in Africa affairs. The renewed 'Scramble for Africa', albeit is largely to gain access to Africa's vast natural resources such as gold, diamonds, copper, natural oil and gas amongst a myriad others. Global titans like Tullow Oil, China National Oil Corporation, British Petroleum etc are investing huge amounts of money in the

quest to ensure energy security and satiate the ever increasing home and global demand.

Kenya has not been left out, though viewed as a backwater. According to a recent survey by a Fund For Peace, a Washington based think-thank Kenya is ranked among the world's 20 most unstable countries. You may not believe it but they say that we're the worst performer in the EAC, and Tanzania is in a league of its own at 65th. It means that Tz is in the class of China (66th), and Israel (67th). However skewed, anti-African and racist it appears it should stir our Hornet's nest to swing to more action and realize our rightful place. There are major potential benefits and pitfalls. The benefits are obviously insurmountable, which will emanate through the earnest competition between the West and The East.

Based on differences between the popular myths and realities of China's relationship with Africa, one can reasonably conclude that China offers a challenge to the West in terms of who should be Africa's primary strategic partner during our course of economic maturity. While China's assistance is not without moral conundrums, its interactions have had tremendous positive impacts on the continent's goals of technological development, infrastructure building and building exports. However, working conditions and the impact on the environment are often not a priority for the Chinese in their dealings with Africa, but their transgressions are no worse than any other powers operating in the continent.

The West should, in my view, respond by trying to compete with China by using its influence with African governments to secure deals for its companies and give what economic incentives it can to companies that operate on projects sought by the Chinese. That Chinese companies building Thika Road, were given a bank guarantee by the Bank Of China is no secret.

As a country we must take care of our own interests when dealing with China, the US, or any other state seeking to engage us with economic incentives. We must decide how to maximize the benefits from their dealings to bolster our political and socio-economic health.

The West should no longer use its Big Brother Attitude in influencing its policies. Their undoing in using the IMF as a battering ram, and insisting upon the priority of its development assistance program and the sending of more troops to Africa to offset China's influence will be their undoing. It wouldn't be long before the West realised China has been educating Africa. Western assistance has always prioritized primary schooling, but the Chinese approach in this instance recognized something beyond fundamental competitiveness-albeit in a distant future. It recognizes the psychological foundation a university degree confers in situations of underdevelopment. The graduate is credentialised as having escaped the structural constraints of poverty upon his/her capacity to understand and interrogate the world.

The current MDGs is just a coinage, nothing of a target, just a ceiling. I do not think the West wants to take any part of Africa into a millennium which, as China, can challenge the West. They are always imperialistic and godly, will always be. The processing of Kenya's tea and the value addition, for example, would destabilize processing, sorry packaging plants in Europe which package these products in their different fake names.

The African leaders to benefit from Chinese desire to win hearts and minds must be taken carefully. We need to renegotiate and take a step back. The world powers are now in a stampede for our resources and attention. All negotiations should be neutralised and no one should come holding a big stick, on do this do that. What should be focused on is technology transfer, promotion of export sector, creating capacity for future endeavours, fair trade, removal of non-trade barriers etc. The nitty gritty can come in through institutional frameworks. These should be able to safe guard cheap imports, labour issues, human rights et al. The golden rule is to play these two to our maximum benefit. Africa must follow suit and because we have some balls, must rightly lead the way.

If the uptake of our finished goods is not embraced overseas, there is the safety net of intra African trade. Europe's biggest market for its finished products as well as services is within Eurozone. The same will enhance regional economies and therefore create capacity and platforms for our take over in world manufacture. I foresee foreign conglomerates setting up shop in the back drop of a growing regional economy, cheap labour, power and energy products. It is not an underestimation to foresee us overtaking industrial giants 50 years to come. Right now African economies are the best performing in the world. To add on that many banks are setting shop after a devastating world financial meltdown, which proves the resilience of a cash-driven economy. Members of Trade blocks should fast track common market protocols and a unimonetary policy. This has an untapped market; East Africa has over 150 Million people! We're sitting on untapped potential.

The African Renaissance is sweeping like ghost fire, and from the prospects of the new World Order spear headed by the BRICS, I’ve watched with baited breath. I only hope the future this country is building will sooner make it the BRICKS. Africa holds the winning card and world powers are waking to that reality. We've beaten the bush too long and that time is coming when any time Africa sneezes the world gets a cold. It's no longer time to dream; let's embrace and fly. Lights, Camera, Action!