Senegal,likemostotherWestAfricancountries,isnotanofficialpartneroftheBeltandRoadInitiative.ButaccordingtoSenegaleseAmbassadortoChinaAbdoulayeFall,hiscountrycanstillbenefitfromandcontributetotheinitiativethatseekstodevelopcooperationbetweenallcountriesaroundtheworld.Heseesthiscooperationbeingnotonlypolitical,butalsocommercial,financial,culturalandinfrastructurebased.Thefollowingisaneditedexcerptofhisthoughts.
＂Theinitiativewantstodevelopcooperationbetweenworldcountries,notonlypoliticallybutalsocommercially,financially,culturallyandthroughinfrastructuredevelopment.Byplacingthecontinentattheforefrontofglobalization,theinitiativeisbeneficialforAfricaingeneral,andforSenegalinparticular.
AbdoulayeFall,AmbassadorofSenegaltoChina
BeltandRoadandAgenda2063
AttheJohannesburgSummitoftheForumonChina-AfricaCooperationheldinSouthAfricainDecember2015,ChinesePresidentXiJinpingunveiledanambitiousprogrambuiltaround10mainthemes,includingindustrialization,agriculturalmodernization,infrastructure,finance,andpeople-to-peopleandculturalexchanges.Bearingtheseinmind,therearemanycommondevelopmentfactorswiththeBeltandRoadInitiative.AndmostofthesethemesarealsofoundintheAfricanUnion’sAgenda2063.
ThetrajectoriesofChinaandAfricarunrelativelyparallelinthreemainstages.Thefirstisbasedonliberation.LikeChina,Africahasfinallyliberateditself,whetherfromcolonializationorapartheid.Thenfollowedaphaseofintegration,inwhichChinasucceededinbringingtogether56ethnicgroups.IfAfricahasachievedthisonaregionalscale,itmustnowaimtodothisatthecontinentallevelthroughtheunificationprocessdesignedbytheAfricanUnion.ThelaststageisthedevelopmentlevelthatChinaisachievingwithsuccess,maintainingaverystrongstrategicpartnershipwithAfrica.ThisiswhatwemustaimforandapathwhereChinaintendstoaccompanythecontinentthroughaverystrongstrategicpartnership.
Senegalhasastrategicplanforitseconomicandsocialdevelopment.TheEmergingSenegalPlanisa20-yearplanissuedin2014,aimedatrestructuringtheeconomyinaninclusiveandsustainablewaywithgoodgovernance.Theminimumgrowthratetargetis7percentby2018,tobemaintainedforatleast10years.Whentheplanwasinitiated,thegrowthratewasaround4.5percent,butinthelasttwoyearswemanaged6.4and6.5percentrespectively,implyingweareontherighttracktoachieveourobjective.
Now,Africa’spriorityaftermodernizingandboostingagricultureforfoodsecurityisindustrialization.WithoutindustrializationacountrycannotbedevelopedandChineseindustriesdelocalizinginAfricacanhelpwiththis.ItismutuallybeneficialbecauseChinahastodelocalize.LaborinChinaisbecomingmoreexpensive.SoaproductproducedinChinawillnolongerbeascompetitiveasitusedtobe.
ChineseenterprisesextendedtheirdelocalizationinEthiopia.EthiopiastandsasasuccessstoryandSenegalisnowontheradar.Senegalisdevelopingitsownindustrialpark.Thefirststageisalreadycompleted.AstheChineseproverbgoes,“youhavetobuildanesttoattractthephoenix.”
BeneficialtoAfrica
Seenfromabroadperspective,itmightbeduetoalackofcommunicationthatsofewWestAfricancountrieshaveformallyjoinedtheBeltandRoadInitiative.It’spossiblethatmostofthemlookattheinitiative’smapandthinktheyarenotinvolvedbecausetheroadbeginsinChinaandgoestoEasternEuropeandtotheeasterncoastofAfrica,targetingonlyafewcountries.SoWestAfricancountries,whichfacetheAtlanticOcean,mightthinktheyarenotinvolved.However,ashasbeensaid,nobodyisorshouldbeexcludedfromthistooltodevelopinclusivenessandbetteranchorglobalization.Soanycountrycanbepartoftheinitiative.MostAfricancountriesshouldparticipatesincetheycouldbenefitagreatdeal.TheBeltandRoadForumforInternationalCooperationheldinmid-MayprovedtobeanadditionalopportunitytocommunicatebetteronthisinitiativeandhasattractmoreAfricannations.
Theinitiativewantstodevelopcooperationbetweenworldcountries,notonlypoliticallybutalsocommercially,financially,culturallyandthroughinfrastructuredevelopment.Byplacingthecontinentattheforefrontofglobalization,theinitiativeisbeneficialforAfricaingeneral,andforSenegalinparticular.
Senegal’sContribution
ButwhilebeingbeneficialtoSenegal,thecountryalsohasmuchitcancontributetotheinitiative.Senegal,locatedatthewesternmosttipofAfrica,isopenandveryclosetointernationalmarkets-mostlytheWestAfrican,WestEuropeanandtheNorthandSouthAmericanmarkets.Sointermsofglobalization,Senegalcancontributetobetteranchorthisinitiative.
IfproductioncapacityisdevelopedinSenegalandiflarge-scaleinvestorsarrive,theygenerateforeigndirectinvestmentthatisinstrumentaltothedevelopmentprocess.Newjobscanbecreatedbecauseofthisdevelopmentandthelevelofexpertisecanbeupgraded,particularlyconcerningtheyouth.
Tobetterdevelopthe21st-CenturyMaritimeSilkRoad,it’simportanttodevelopportsbecauseportshelptoexportgoodsfrommanufacturerstointernationalmarkets.Senegalisatthecrossroadsofmaritimeroutes.AcontainerleavingChinaneedsabouttwomonthstogettotheUnitedStates,butiftheproductionisdoneinSenegal,itjustneedsoneweek.ThisisanadvantageofdelocalizingandwhySenegalissupportingthisinitiative.
Culturalcollaboration
Senegal’sstrategiclocationmeansitisalsowellplacedtocontributetotheinitiativeintermsofculture.Thecountry’sconstitutionrequirescom-mitmenttothecoreculturalvaluesofthenation,whichcementsthenationalunity.ThefirstPresident,LeopoldSedarSenghor,wasapoetandintellectualforwhomcultureformedthebeginningandendofanydevelopmentalprocess.In1966,heconvenedthefirstWorldFestivalofNegroArtsinDakaranddevelopedvisualarts,painting,sculpture,architectureandtapestryinthecountry.
Sincethenmanyannualculturaleventsareheldaroundthethemesofmusic,dance,paintings,fashionandfilms.
TheblackworldexistsnotonlyinAfricabutalsointhediasporabroughttotheirnewcountriesduringslavery.ThetriangularrelationbetweenAfrica,EuropeandtheAmericasshouldnowbeseeninadifferentlight,asatrianglepartnershipbetweenthenewgenerationsofAfrica,newleadersoftheAmericasandnewleadersofEuropecommittedtotransformtheformertriangulartradeintoatriangularpartnershipthroughnewideasandpractices.TheMuseumofBlackCivilizationscreatedinDakar,thankstothecooperationwithChina,willhelpinbetterknowingthehistoryandbetterpreparingthenewpath.
Developmentcannotjustbeseenintermsofeconomicgrowth.Ifthisgrowthdoesnotbenefitallorneglectsthesustainableaspect,itisuseless.Andthisiswherethehumandimensioncomesin.Theultimategoalistoimprovethelivingstandardsofthepeople.
Thecollaborationmanifestsitselfinanumberofways.Forexample,ChinawelcomesanumberofSenegalesestudentsandcivilservantsofvariousareaseachyear.Therearealsomanyartisticandculturalexchanges,andSenegalesetalentgoestoChinaannually.
ChinahasopenedaCulturalCenterandaConfuciusInstituteinSenegal.ThereisalotofexchangebetweentheChinesewhocometoSenegalandtheSenegalesewhocometoChina.Thisallhelpstocementinstitutionalrelations,contributetoabetterunderstandingbetweenpeopleandstrengthenmutualtrust.CA