Article on China in Africa

Given that Chinese involvement in Africa has become a central issue in our class I thought it was necessary to bring this article to your attention. It is crucial to hear the important opinions of Africans in regards to the Chinese in the continent. Please bring forth more articles regarding this debate, and post comments to this article.


"China: A Blessing or Africa's Curse?"
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/Insight/-/688338/1043410/-/ql13x9/-/index.html

Ugandan Pharmaceutical Factory

As our class has examined the relationship between Africa and the emerging BRIC economies I thought that I would bring attention to the creation of Pharmaceutical Factory in Uganda. This factory has begun producing all levels of Anti Retro Viral treatment drugs, and anti-malarial treatments both of which are in need in Sub-Saharan Africa. This factory was built through a partnership with two drug companies one Indian and the other Ugandan. Hopefully this factory will reduce the need for importing expensive drugs, and provide easier access to people who desperately need these life saving treatments. Please click on the link to view the article by the New Vision newspaper.

"ARVs production starts Monday"
http://newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/590442/Quality%20Chemical%20Industries

The Kingdom of Swaziland

Capital: Mbabne

Independence: September 6,1968

Population : 1.1 million (UN 2009)

Formerly colonized under : British empire

Government type: Monarchy

Fast Facts :

- Economy relies heavily on South Africa, which receives 1/2 of Swazi imports and supplies its imports

- One of the world's last remaining monarchs

Current Events :

- Pro-Democracy Leader Arrest

King Mwasti III - ruling monarch since 1986

Namibia: Fun Facts

*Namibia is home to two of the world's oldest deserts: The Namib and the Kalahari.


* The Zambezi River flows along the border of Namibia.

* Namibia is one of the last countries in Africa to shake European colonialism. The year 2010 marked 20 years of Namibia's independence because it was declared a sovereign nation in March of 1990.

*Namibia is the first country in the world to incorporate "The Protection of the environment" in its national constitution.

Southern African Development Community

Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Human Development Index (HDI)

• The human development index or HDI is a composite statistic calculated by a mathematical equation which results in a number that can be assigned to each country to measure their development in comparison with other countries. It takes three main factors into account: Life Expectancy at Birth, Literacy rates combined with stats about primary, secondary, and tertiary education levels, and finally Standard of Living which is a logarithm of Gross Domestic Product at Purchasing Power Parity. (Wikipedia, Human Development Index)

SADC Countries and their HDI for 2009 and their ranking compared to other countries

• Angola- (0.564) 143
• Botswana- (0.694) 125
• DRC- (0.389) 176
• Lesotho-(0.514) 156
• Madagascar- (0.543) 145
• Malawi- (0.493) 160
• Mauritius- (0.804) 81
• Mozambique- (0.402) 172
• Namibia- (0.686) 128
• Seychelles- (0.845) 57
• South Africa- (0.683) 129
• Swaziland- (0.572) 142
• Tanzania- (0.530) 151
• Zambia- (0.481) 164
• Zimbabwe- no information available for 2009
• Other notable rankings: Norway 1, USA 13, China 92, Brazil 75, India 134, Russia Federation 71


*These figures were published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 2009 Report on Human Development and can be found at (http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/)




*note Zimbabwe is not included in the graph

Zambia

• Population
• 11,862,740
• Government Type
• Republic
• Legal System based on English common and customary law
• Colonial History
• Has a rich history intertwined with Zimbabwe with Cecil Rohodes calling the area Rhodesia
• Northern Rhodesia is now known as Zambia
• Different Tribes/ Ethnic Groups
• African 99.5% (Bemba, Tonga, Chewa, Lozi, Nsenga, Tumbuka, Ngoni, Lala, Kaonde, Lunda and other African groups
• .5% includes Europeans, Asians and Americans
• Languages
• 8 official languages (Bemba, Nyanja, Tonga, Lozi, Lunda, Kaonde, Luvale and English
• Others include Chewa, Nsenga, Tumbuka, Lala and other languages
• Exports
• Industries incluse copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages chemicals, textiles, fertilizer and horticulture
• Exports include copper, cobalt, electricity, tobacco, flowers and cotton
• Sent to China, Saudi Arabia, DRC, South Korea, Egypt, South Africa and India
• Imports
• Machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, electricity, fertilizer, foodstuffs and clothing
• Received from South Africa, UAE, China and the DRC
• Natural Resources
• Copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium
• (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/za.html)
• Music
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3b5UzWEJhQ