Tigers and Dragons in Kenya

Interesting article about Chinese and Indian accquisitions in Kenya:

It is has become ironic that while many American and European firms consider their Kenyan subsidiaries to be lemons, Asian firms are making lemonades out of these situations and in some cases turning them into star performers.

These firms are also gaining entry into African markets without stirring as much animosity as the South African continental invasion has attracted.

The key to this success stems from the investment that India and China are making to understand the contours of both political and business power on the continent, taking advantage of the hunger for investment in most African countries.

Is this bad / good ? :

The US and the UK have in particular voiced concerns that the Africa-Asia link could precipitate a new form of neo-colonialism. Critics have also pointed out that most policies for Africa by the fast rising Asian economies are highly flawed; largely driven by lopsided economic gains and tend to ignore the social and humanitarian side of life.

Ironic isn’t it? The US is one country where both industrial and service business activity has been outsourced to China and India. The other thing I believe is that these rising eastern countries have a better understanding of African countries and economies – given that the economic situation in some parts of China and India is not so different from many African countries. There is also the absence of historical baggage like colonialism, slavery and racism, which gives these countries a different perspective to Africa than the West.

Note #1: How come the Chinese or Indian ambassadors don’t make the news as often as the American and the English ones ?

Note #2: A search on google yeilded this interesting article on Kenya by a former Indian High Commissioner to Kenya published in a Indian newspaper. Interesting perspective.