Emerging Powers in Africa
Issue 2 October 2010 

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A number of recent meetings between Chinese and African NGOs have taken important initial steps in strengthening communication between both sides. While many of these initiatives have taken place in China, the Emerging Powers in Africa Programme recently also co-hosted its first NGO Dialogue between Chinese and African organisations in Cape Town, South Africa. In light of this, an overview of these activities is provided in this edition’s lead article and poses a set of questions for possible future engagements.

The two articles that follow look into Indian and Chinese engagement in Ethiopia. Alemayehu Geda and Atenafu Meskel have summarised the findings of research conducted into Chinese investments in Ethiopia. The findings are presented in the form of a policy brief concluding with a recommendation to create an informed government policy overseeing Chinese investment relations in the country. An article by Shantanu Guhu Ray and Vilasini Roy as it appeared in Tehelka Magazine then highlights the concerns of civil society organisations in Ethiopia including the Anywaa Survival Organisation over land being leased to Indian multinationals.

We have continued to receive positive comments and feedback following the launch of our newsletter in September and would like to thank our readers for their support in distributing our publication to their networks. We hope to continue to receive suggestions for future commentaries and articles that will be of interest to African CSOs. To this end, we continue to select articles that provide useful information on activities of emerging powers, to inform African perspectives and seek to analyse the implications of these activities in Africa. To ensure an expanding readership, and a view that is more representative of regions in Africa beyond Anglophone countries, we would also like to encourage commentaries in French and Portuguese.

We hope you will find the second edition of our newsletter to be a useful and interesting read.

Hayley Herman
Programme Officer
Emerging Powers in Africa Programme