Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides)- Africa for centuries economically tied to Europe and later with North America is spreading its economic connections to other parts of the world. These changes are due to new relations of economic powers in an ever more globalised world, in which countries such as China, Japan and South Korea and in perspective India and Brazil have become the main suppliers of consumer goods for the rest of the world.
Production requires prime material and energy and also new markets in which to sell products. This is why Africa in recent years is at the centre of attention for a number of governments. New scenes appear, new alliances economic and also political are formed. For years for example there has been talk of a possible axis between India, Brazil and South Africa, countries with vigorous economic growth, in possession of ambitions, political, strategic, (include the conquest of space) and anxious to build synergy among their respective capacities.
South Africa, principle economic and political power south of Sahara, will receive a visit next week from Russian president Vladimin Putin. Talks with South African leaders will focus on economy, more specifically on cooperation in exploitation of strategic metals. Russia, which in the past days has created a new industrial giant in aluminium, has already invested in a number of south African mining industries. Russian magnate Viktor Vekselberg controls 49% of the South African United Manganese of Kalahari, and last year, Russian steel giant Evraz took over Highveld, S.A.’s second largest producer of steel and first world supplier of vanadium, strategic mineral used to reinforce certain types of steel. Russia wants to build strategic alliance with South Africa in the sector of metals, modelled on the one created in the sector of gas between the Russian giant Gazprom and the Algerian Sonatrach.
Africa is making headway in south-south collaboration in particular with Latin American countries. Angola is one of the countries most involved in these projects. Brazil, which has already invested in the local diamond production, looks with growing interest at Angola’s oil production, also because from the geological point of view the countries belong to the same basin. Experts searching for oil in Angola and those operating in Brazil work on the same geological configuration and can therefore exchange valuable information on the conformation of oil fields. Now Venezuela, also an oil producer, is trying to join the game promising the Angolan government technological supplies to boost its oil industry.
Briefly then, many games are open and many more will open for the control of African resources. The new African leadership has an opportunity to improve living conditions of the people on that continent. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 1/9/2006 righe 40 parole 483)
