Technology transfer will be a key element of a new phase in the partnership between the two, which was agreed at the fifth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) that took place in Beijing on 19–20 July. But China's track record in Africa has some lessons for technology transfer that both sides need to consider to ensure their partnership proves equitable and profitable for more Africans.
China's own economic ascent was fuelled by the establishment of special economic zones governed by laws that were more market-oriented than national laws — lower taxes, for example — in an effort to boost business and attract foreign investors. Such zones were often set up in close proximity to national centres of research excellence to encourage technology transfer.
In 2006, the FOCAC agreed to establish similar zones in Africa. Of the eight that have been approved so far, only one, located in Egypt, is operational. Another, in Zambia, is half-operational, and the others are still under construction or have yet to attract investors.
..."There is no evidence that any of the host governments have made efforts to develop supplier programmes and other close links between the domestic private sector and the zones. Without this, the zones are likely to remain enclaves and the opportunities for technology and skills transfers will be lost," they write....
A map for the 2009 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, rendered by 玖巧仔, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
No comments:
Post a Comment