'State has a role to play'

Ethiopian rising star says both China and Africa benefit from economic exchanges

Redwan Hussien Rameto, one of a new generation of African leaders, insists China is not playing an exploitative role in his continent.

The 40-year-old member of the Ethiopian cabinet, who is seen as a potential prime minister, dismisses Western perceptions that China has colonial ambitions in Africa.

"I think it is simply pathetic. It is not a genuine opinion. China has never colonized any country and their presence here in Africa is based on mutual interest. It's just business," he says.

Redwan was speaking at the headquarters of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, the ruling political party in the country, in the center of Addis Ababa.

Charismatic and articulate, he combines the role of secretariat head of the party with that of public participation and mobilization adviser to the prime minister, which carries ministerial rank.

Redwan says Ethiopia is one of a number of African countries where China's involvement is not linked to securing natural resources since its main exports are agricultural crops such as coffee and sesame seeds.

Instead it has mainly offered loans to fund infrastructure projects. The Chinese are currently building the final section of a 339-km railway linking Addis Ababa to the Red Sea state of Djibouti.

Other projects include a toll road along the same route as well as hydropower projects and establishing cellular and 3G networks.

The Chinese have also built as a "gift to Africa" the new gleaming $124 million African Union headquarters that dominates the Addis Ababa skyline.

"We are building a number of roads, bridges and dams because of China. Those who blame China for colonizing ought really to come and see what Africans themselves really feel," he says.

"Those who actually colonized Africa just took resources and impoverished us. The China relationship is different. China gets its advantages but so does Africa. China's gain is not based on Africa's loss. We both benefit."

Redwan, who is renowned for his own debating skill, admits one of the failures of both China and African countries is to let the Western media version of the relationship prevail.

"They have the power to manipulate world opinion and they manage to do that. They tarnish the picture and paint it whatever color they like. Neither China nor Africa manage to sell themselves," he says.

Redwan himself has seen a major transformation in the fortunes of Ethiopia in his lifetime.

When he was at school in his native Siltie region, about 200 km south of Addis Ababa, the Derg military junta under Mengistu Haile Miriam ruled supreme.

"When I was at high school you had to hide in your study rooms because you were afraid of being caught and sent to the war front to prolong the life of that oppressive regime," he recalls.

He went on to study biology at Addis Ababa University before embarking on a career as a biology teacher.

Politics intervened, however. He became a member of the House of People's Representatives in his late 20s and has held a series of high profile political jobs, including being deputy mayor of Addis Ababa's city administration before his current high-profile roles.

Some view him as a successor to Meles Zenawi, the prime minister since 1991 and who has said he does not want to seek another term in 2014.

"I am not seeing myself as prime minister. What matters is whether you actually contribute today. If you do that, the rest will be a collective decision. What matters is that I am doing the right thing and living up to the expectations of my party," he says.

The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front has close links with the Communist Party of China, signing a memorandum of understanding two years ago.

"China and Ethiopia are both old civilizations with a long history. They have both experienced long periods of decline and now it is time for them to rise again. China has started earlier but we want to follow in their footsteps," he says.

Redwan says Ethiopia's government shares with China the view that the state should be the major driving force behind economic development and not the private sector.

He insists that Western neo-liberalism ideology that has underpinned the thinking of US governments for more than a generation has failed Africa.

"The state has to play a role in countries like Ethiopia where before recent development there was no private sector. It needs to be there to provide education and healthcare and provide a lift for the population," he says.

"The government has to make sure the private sector is not just led by its profit interest. It cannot rip off the masses and get all the benefits. Everyone has to get a fair share from an ever-increasing cake."

He says that even in Western economies such as the US and Britain there has been a recognition since the onset of the financial crisis that the private sector cannot do everything.

"We felt there would be a problem sooner or later and we were right. They have again reverted to adopting a Keynesian approach," he says.

One of Redwan's big frustrations is that Ethiopia is still dogged by its 1985 Live Aid image of droughts and famines although it has experienced double-digit economic growth in recent years.

He puts the blame for this on the international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that have a vested interest in painting a bleak picture for Africa in order to obtain more funding for themselves.

"If they say Ethiopia is changing for the better, they would not be able to solicit money and they would be out of jobs. While this perception is sold it is easier for them to cheat Western taxpayers," he says.

Redwan says NGOs have tended to have a negative influence on countries in Africa and often use up 70 percent of their resources on their salaries and administration while recipients receive just 30 percent.

"Much of the money doesn't go to countries like Ethiopia, it goes to the pockets of these individuals. It is a business," he says.

Redwan argues that is why China - which has invested some $2 billion in Ethiopian projects in recent years - is a much more effective partner.

"They are giving us access to capital, they assist us in the transfer of technology and they are not just acting as a partner with our government but the rest of Africa too," he says.

Redwan believes Africa is at last beginning to live up to the vision of post-colonial leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania and Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia.

"They were very bright leaders and if we had kept on with that legacy, Africa would not be where it is now. It is their role we need to follow if we are to change," he says.

He says the aim for Ethiopia is not to emulate China's economic growth story of the past 30 years but first to achieve middle-income nation status and then to move into the next league.

"We are not competing with China because we don't have to be where China is. Based on current economic growth it will take us 12 to 15 years to join the 'middle income club'," he says.

"The challenge then will be not to get trapped there like Tunisia and Egypt and move on to developed status like South Korea and other countries have done."

Contact the writers at andrewmoody@chinadaily.com.cn and zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/22/2012 page32)