Let Africa safeguard its economic interests

  

The International University of Professional Studies, formerly Inoorero, campus building in Nairobi which has been put up for auction by a creditor. PHOTO | FILE

Opinion and Analysis 

Joseph Kieyah 

By Joseph Kieyah

In 1885, the leading European powers gathered in Berlin and subdivided Africa among themselves without the consent of Africans.

However, one and a quarter century later, Africa is once again under intense global focus. Undeniably, this renewed attention is largely driven by similar economic interests of the West, which are being executed differently from those of the Berlin period.

This time, there are efforts to engage African leaders, which have metamorphosed into competition between the West and new Asian entrants like China.

This is evidenced by the recent unprecedented US-Africa leaders summit held to counter China’s recent similar engagements with Africa leaders. Whereas this attention is exhilarating, it is equally terrifying and calls for caution.

The Berlin conference ignited the fire of colonialism that destructively burned across the African savannah. For Kenya, extinguishing this fire and attaining independence came at an enormous cost of loss of human life and suffering.

Tragically, at the dawn of independence, our forefathers had great difficulties running the systems foisted upon them. Whereas they did their best under a difficult set of circumstances, their revolutionary ideas of a better Kenya 50 years later remain a work in progress.

For Kenya’s independence generation at the helm of leadership, the world is very different now. This generation is more educated and exposed to the outside world than the founding generation.

They are the heirs of freedom who germinated with the extinguishing of the fire of colonialism.

However, they are also victims of the smouldering remnants of the fire in the form of economic dependence on the West. This dependence continues to restrict their full enjoyment of freedom.

Extractive industry

Interestingly for Kenya, the new global attention has coincided with recent invigoration of the extractive industry, including the discoveries of mineral resources such as oil and gas that are commercially viable.

This is also coming at a time when we have assiduously devoted our energies to nurturing our four-year-old constitutional democracy, which is unexpectedly mired in challenges.

The combination of the new global focus and our internal parental disagreement on how to nurture our young democracy threatens the survival of our republic.

These challenges summon every Kenyan to give a testimony to national loyalty. Such loyalty embodies a commitment of unwillingness to witness or permit a replica of plundering the extractive industry by our contemporaries.

Laudably, the president exemplifies this commitment by reiterating that future engagement with the East or West will be driven by our economic interests.