South Africa needs a concrete BRICS strategy
Heads of state of the BRICS countries will gather in Ufa, Russia, this week for the grouping’s seventh summit, which comes at a particularly challenging time for Russian diplomacy. Precipitated by the conflict in Ukraine, Russia is barred from Group of Seven/Group of Eight processes and increasingly estranged from the West.
BRICS and climate change
Reflecting the broadening of the BRICS agenda since the grouping was formed in 2009, the first ever meeting of BRICS environment ministers was held in Russia in April 2015.
Silk, Cinnamon and Cotton: Emerging Power Strategies for the Indian Ocean and the Implications for Africa
The Indian Ocean, once a centre of gravity for the trading nations of Asia, the Gulf and coastal Africa, is on the cusp of a revival of its substantial commercial status and geo-strategic prospects. This is manifested in a number of ways.
Ahead of FOCAC and toward Agenda 2063: A timely window for African think tanks to take the lead
This year is seen as an important step towards implementing Africa’s future development plans. With the MDGs drawing to a close, the post-2015 development agenda for the continent is framed around Agenda 2063.
Cultural Diplomacy through ‘China’s Year in South Africa’
How are states employing cultural diplomacy in an increasingly interconnected world in shaping understanding between societies while promoting preferential co-operation between nations? Observers of China-South Africa relations will have noticed the increasing reference to the ‘China Year in South Africa’ by officials on both sides.
Chinese Financed Hydropower Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa
This policy brief provides an analysis of Chinese practice in financing large—over 50 megawatt (MW)—hydropower projects in Africa between 2000 and 2013.
Neither ‘Friendship Farm’ Nor ‘Land Grab’: Chinese Agricultural Engagement in Angola
Chinese-Angolan agricultural cooperation can be divided into two phases, beginning in 2004. In the first period, from 2004 to 2008, Chinese engagement focused on infrastructure construction.
Assessing The Impact of Chinese Investment on Southeast Africa’s Cotton: Moving Up The Value Chain?
An influx of Chinese and other Asian investment in Southeast Africa over the last decade has had a significant impact on the cotton-textile value chain in the region.
Chinese Agribusiness Entrepreneurship in Africa: Case Studies in Ghana and Nigeria
Agriculture is an important area of Chinese economic engagement in Africa. Since the 1960s, China has provided aid, sent experts, and trained African farmers.
Chinese Agricultural Engagements in Zambia: A Grassroots Analysis
Recent focus on large-scale Chinese investments in African agriculture has fueled popular misperceptions of Chinese “land grabs” and has overshadowed another unexplored -and perhaps more significant-phenomenon: the rise of medium-scale private Chinese farmers and rural entrepreneurs.