Africa has its own needs and interests -Kagame

President Kagame who was delivering a talk at Milken Global Conference on “Global Overview: Measuring the Winds of Change” panel moderated by The New York Times writer, Nicholas Kristof explained that the question should be what Africa has been doing with this debt.

Other participants that featured on the same panel include the CEO of Wilson Center, Jane Harman; the Director of China Strategy, Michael Pillsbury and former UK minister Lord Peter Mandelson.

Commenting on China involvement in Africa, President Kagame said; “Africa has its own needs and interests whether you want to see it that way or not.”

The competition between the USA and the industrialized world with China finds Africa caught between China and the West. The USA said that its military and security operations in Africa are hampered by China dominance on the African continent.

“Africa has not had debt from China only. Debt forgiveness was there because there was debt. The question is what Africa has been doing with this debt. Saying we are worried Africa will be trapped in debt with China, sounds like concern for Africa by outsiders rather than Africa being concerned for its own wellbeing,” said Kagame.

President Kagame also talked on the claim that China is sponsoring corruption in Africa. He highlighted that the assumption is that corruption is confined to China and Africa and that the west does not get involved in corruption, which is not true.

He said that nobody should give an excuse for corruption but should be fought wherever it comes from that ‘it is what we have been trying to do in our countries and in other African countries”

“Africa, my own country, look to the west as partners of choice, or investors of choice in Africa. If the west was doing investments that are required in Africa the way they should be, then Africa will stop being caught in this trap or competition,” highlighted Kagame.

He emphasized that Africa needs to get its act together and be a place that can raise its stakes higher than where it is and as much as possible to be one of the players on the global scene instead of being caught up in power games seen across the world.