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21 century Africa
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It’s a different world now!

Africa has other attractive 'assets'

 Nigeria is the fourth largest oil exporter in the world
 Africa has large quantities of other natural resources such as diamond, sugar, salt, woods
and foodstuffs such as cocoa beans and tropical fruits
 West Africa is one of the most economically important fishing zones in the world,
producing 4.5 million tons of fish in 2000. Lake Victoria is the most productive freshwater
fishery in the world, producing over 500,000 tons of fish worth $600 million every year. As
fish resources decrease elsewhere, the demand and value for fish from African waters is
rising. Illegal trawlers from countries like China, Europe, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea,
and Taiwan are becoming a commonplace feature in African waters.
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Developed countries are also aware that Africa will increasingly offer a vast potential
future market for developed countries’ exports.
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It is projected that by 2050 Africans will form 20% of the world's labour force 86

“ By 2070, after thirty years in which all growth in the labor force in the world will be in
sub-Saharan Africa, that region will have a working-age population of 1.8 billion, more

than the United States, India, and China combined, “
Hoover Institution,
Stanford University
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Unsurprisingly, economically highly developed countries are 'racing' each other to gain
greater access to African resources and economies.

In the last decade,

 More than 150 new embassies (Turkey 16, Qatar 12) were opened in Sub-Saharan Africa
 Several countries have established military bases (China and Japan in Djibouti; Turkey in
Somalia; the United Arab Emirates {UAE] in Eritrea and Somaliland; India began the building of
a naval base in the Seychelles. )
 Russia increased its military support and arms sales to Angola, the Central African Republic,
Nigeria, and Uganda and has in recent years signed 20 bilateral defence agreements with
African states.
 over 65 countries (Including India, Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Indonesia and Thailand)
significantly increased their overall trade with Sub-Saharan Africa - sometimes doubling it.