Seminar: The BRICS and the “New Scramble for Africa"

Video

Video duration: 
1 h 10 min.

The BRICS group’s members are, according to the International Monetary Fund, projected to account for around 60% of global growth by 2014. How and why the BRICS interact with Africa is likely to be a major aspect of the continent’s international relations for the foreseeable future. Whilst this has thus far seen accelerated growth within some African countries, major challenges exist that need to be addressed. Some African elites and academics have heralded the rise of emerging powers and their interest in Africa as providing new opportunities for the continent and particularly, freeing Africa from its post-colonial relationships with Europe and the United States. However, credible development policies need to be implemented within the continent, otherwise there is a danger that we may just see the diversification of dependency, rather than any qualitative improvement in Africa’s place in the world. This is particularly so with regard to the economic realm where Africa’s dependent relationship on the global economy is being reproduced, with an intensification of economic activities in primary commodities and a resultant jobless growth scenario. Whilst this is uneven across the continent, it remains the fact that Africa’s impressive growth figures have been based on a 73 percent export growth between 1995-2008 being driven by mining whilst there is evidence of deindustrialization in all other sectors.

Ian Taylor is Professor in International Relations and African Politics at the University of St Andrews, Chair Professor in the School of International Studies, Renmin University of China and Professor Extraordinary in Political Science at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Prior to joining St Andrews he taught African Politics for four years at the University of Botswana and has also taught at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda. He has visited and/or conducted research in 38 African countries, plus Reunion. His authored books include: The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) (2011); The International Relations of Sub-Saharan Africa (2010); China’s New Role in Africa (2009) and NEPAD: Towards Africa’s Development or Another False Start? (2005).

Date, time and location

14 March 2013
15.30 - 17.00
Pieter de la Courtgebouw / Faculty of Social Sciences, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden
Room 3A06