Strategies of Chinese firms in Africa: Chinese links to forest governance issues in Africa: A view from Cameroon what targets, which cooperation

thesuncameroon — Fri, 10 May 2019 11:05:46 +0000

Title: Strategies of Chinese firms in Africa: Chinese links to forest governance issues in Africa: A view from Cameroon what targets, which cooperation?

MAKAMTE TCHENTE GARAUDIE ARMELLE

E-mail :garaudietchent@yahoo.fr Tel:237 696 386 525 Hebei University of Technology Tianjin, China

Supervised by Professor Li Jinhai 李金海

For the last three decades, the Chinese economy has multiplied it GDP by 15. In order to maintain a strong home economic growth and insure a constant supply of raw material and energy, China turned towards the African continent by quickly and firmly multiplying its foreign direct investments during the last ten years. By becoming the second largest business partner of Cameroon, as well as a strategic investor, a financial supplier and associated for the development; China has now overturned the balance of powers which had been established since the decolonization of Cameroon.

Figure 1: visit of Chinese firm in southern region of Cameroon

Chinese presence in Cameroon: China, a « new » partner of Cameroon?

The encounter of two dreams: rapid economic growth (with China as a model) and economic expansion (to meet the needs of the biggest economy in the world)

Chinese influence on forest Governance

China, main destination of timber from Cameroon (for round logs, 500,000 cubic meters on a total export of 700,000). China not (yet?) part of the ongoing Voluntary Partnership Agreement discussion aiming at production and trade of legal wood China, main destination for timber with illegal or suspicious origin « Chinese » companies involved in illegal or controversial logging

Figure 2: Proportions of informal and formal timber production in Central Africa including Cameroon

This figure shows that the number of informal timbers produce in Cameroon is more than the formal one due to the week management system affected by bribery and corruption by Chinese companies.

Chinese investments in other sectors and forestry Increased presence of Chinese investments in the infrastructure sector in Cameroon:

In a context characterized by a poor system of timber rights allocation and monitoring

Are Chinese investments a problem to forests in Cameroon? Chinese investments are not very well known

They are growing fast, but not as big as often announced (debt, investments, companies’ presence, etc.)

Figure 3: china growth rate inflation since cooperation with Cameroon

They are part of a partnership between well experienced firms/State and a weak State (weak norms, poor environmental and social standards, limited capacity of monitoring)

They reveal the weak capacity of the State Impact on forest governance. No direct impact of large Chinese companies on forest governance in Cameroon

No major logging company holding title “Companies” in the or infrastructure sectors are indirectly responsible of intensive logging and forest conversion Small « Chinese » companies involved in logging with no permit, including of protected species The major impact seems to be caused by the capacity of the Government to appropriately allocate and monitor timber rights (It never happened with this magnitude in such a short term)

Targeting Chinese Investments alone will not resolve the problem The main lesson learned from Chinese investments’ impact on the forestry sector is that there is a clear need to change the conditions of forest governance in the whole country, for all the actors, and not only for the Chinese

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LIMBE FESTAC 2016: A pointer to the future

Eyong Kevin — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 08:21:05 +0000

So much has come to linger round my memory, about the just ended LIMBE FESTAC 2016, which equally reminds me about the Lagos Festival of arts and culture, which also bore the abbreviation of FESTAC. If my memories have not gone rustic, this was in 1977. At the time Nigeria was under military rule with General Olusegun Obasanjo, as the Head of state. For although Obasanjo actually presided over this memorable occasion, an event which many who took part, watched it, and saw the glamour in it, were, at the end of the festival, asking the question, when next and who will volunteer to host it, was not Obasanjo, actually the one who initiated this great event that, in earnest succeeded in assembling all African peoples in one place. Since then, never again has such a gathering shown the determination to identify themselves as one people, whom an accident of history succeeded so brutally to separate and dominate in the name of colonialism, with the sole mission to exploit.
It was actually General Gowon’s idea, which some analysts tried to defend as an option of calling fellow Africans to bear witness of his determination to the process of reintegrating his people of Nigeria after a bloody civil war virtually split the country. Whatever was the underlying objective of this event, it did give Nigeria a new image.
The other argument, suggesting why Nigeria under the military could afford to go into such a venture might also be that, Nigeria’s oil revenue was still better managed then than now and so the leaders felt it was an opportunity to show the world that there was an African country that is capable of defending the ruined pride of the African peoples whom the West has always brandished as a people without a credible human identity, just a specie.
Whichever way we take the two arguments, Nigeria certainly got the credits. She stunned the world and reshaped Africa’s image. However, the question kept coming up for a long time, eagerly wanting to know if the move by Nigerian leaders at the time was simply a show of wealth, nor whether it bore any message that was capable of firing the minds of other African countries to keep alive this original spirit, as being participatory in the advancement of a universal culture, capable of bringing the world more and more closer for its own good?
I happened to be in Lagos at the time, as a student in the Nigerian Institute of Journalism. Preparations for the hosting of the festival changed the face of Lagos. Satellite villages were constructed, in fact, everything that was necessary to keep Africa comfortable in Lagos, was put in place. The Cameroonian delegation comprising selected artists from most parts of the country were conspicuous. Nigerians, particularly Lagosians equally felt a new pride in them. Their joy was manifested in one aspect that they hosted Africa.
So when I look back at the just ended LIMBE FESTAC, I feel the same excitement that caught me in Lagos many years ago, and I see myself asking that same question: when next can we find such a gathering of Africans both at home and the Diaspora ? Is there an African country that picks up the challenge? In the immediate, my only consolation is that the Limbe FESTAC is by all consideration a pointer to the future. Let its initiator, Motanga keep the flame burning. The future of – course, we cannot tell now. Only time will tell.

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Strategies of Chinese firms in Africa: Chinese links to forest governance issues in Africa: A view from Cameroon what targets, which cooperation

LIMBE FESTAC 2016: A pointer to the future