Most African leaders are familiar with the Singapore story.
They in fact would like the continent to emulate much of the successes of
Singapore. The story of rising from a backwater Third World country, to a First
World country, is a story that resonates with many African leaders. Many have
in fact drawn up policies to ensure that Africa does draw crucial lessons from
this success. However, even though the story of Singapore is well known in
Africa, the fact remains that China is the dominant player in Africa. It has
signed huge multilateral deals with several African countries, mainly in the
area of minerals and infrastructure development. However, the trade is mostly
one way, and African countries are beginning to question the deals that Africa
conducts with China. For example, early last year, the immediate former
Nigerian central Bank Governor, Lamido Sanusi, warned that China was dumping
substandard industrial goods on the African continent, and in the process,
killing the African manufacturing sector.
In an attempt to upstage China in the continent, this week,
the government of Singapore will be hosting its third Africa-Singapore business
forum. The forum will bring African private and public sector leaders to
