African Countries Have More Policy Options: West, China, Russia, Gulf States

 Politics Today published on 23 January 2026 an article titled "Africa's Quiet Power Shift: From Russian Gold Deals to China's Training Push" by Goktug Caliskan, International University of Rabat.  

The author concluded the question among African governments is no longer whether Russia's Africa Corps, China's training offensive, Trump's transactional policy or Europe's climate money is most attractive.  The question is how African governments use these choices to maneuver and quietly rewrite the rules.  Africa is learning to say yes, no, or not yet--and to make everyone wait.  

Future of the China-Africa Relationship

 The Africa-China Centre for Policy & Advisory, an Accra-based think tank, published in January 2026 a paper titled "Why People Matter: Reimagining the Future of Africa-China Cooperation" by Paul Frimpong.

The Africa-China connection needs to shift from a primarily state-to-state model toward a society-to-society approach.  Governments remain essential, but durable cooperation is built when universities, collaborate, journalists exchange perspectives, businesses form partnerships, and communities interact directly.

A second shift is from delivery-focused engagement to experience and impact-focused cooperation.  Success should be measured not only by outputs--kilometers of road or megawatts of power--but by outcomes such as skills development, technology absorption, and local enterprise growth.

The third shift is from delivery exposure to mutual learning.  People-to-people exchanges are most effective when they are reciprocal, allowing Africans and Chinese alike to learn, adapt, and innovate together.  This mutuality strengthens trust and reinforces the principle of partnership.

Analysis of China's Foreign Minister Visit to Africa

 The Development Watch Centre, an independent think tank in Uganda, published on 20 January 2026 an article titled "Making Sense of China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi's 2026 Tour of Africa" by Musanjufu Benjamin Kavubu.  

The visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Africa reinforces Beijing's goal to be seen as an attractive and more reliable geopolitical and geoeconomic partner than is the case for the United States.  

China Steps Up Soft Power in Africa

 The South China Morning Post published on 18 January 2026 an article titled "How China Is Stepping Up Africa China Offensive to Boost Cultural Ties, Deepen Influence" by Jevans Nyabiage.  

China began 2026 by emphasizing its people-to-people and soft power interaction in Africa.  This was one of the features of Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Lesotho.

China-Africa Cooperation in 2026

 China Africa News published on 1 January 2026 an article titled "What's at Stake in 2026 for AU-China Cooperation?" by Cremilda Macuacua.

People-to-people exchanges, and training programs will highlight China-Africa relations in 2026.  There will be a focus on health care, food security, rural development, and expanded trade.

China-Africa Race Relations after Guangzhou

Panda Paw Dragon Claw posted on 20 April 2020 a commentary titled "After Guangzhou, 3 Things Will Shape China-Africa 'Brotherhood'" by Ma Tianjie, a Chinese environmental journalist and popular blogger who tracks Chinese public opinion on current events.

The author suggested the impact of discrimination against Africans in Guangzhou during the COVID-19 pandemic on Africans and Chinese will likely be long-lasting. Guangzhou will form part of the COVID-19 experience for China and Africa. Communities on both sides can choose to go along with the downward spiral or turn it into the beginning of a difficult yet necessary conversation.

New People to People Web Site

People to People (P2P) is a US-based, non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care and reducing the spread of disease in Africa, especially Ethiopia.  It has supporters throughout the Ethiopian diaspora and in Ethiopia.  It has recently created a new website at www.p2pbridge.org designed by Hermela Aregawi, a journalist with Aljazeera in New York. 

If you are interested in health care, check it out.

Ethiopia: People to People Global Health Forum

The NGO, People to People (P2P), has begun a one hour radio forum that will take place each Thursday evening.  The first program aired on 9 January 2014 with moderator Dr. Anteneh Habte, chairman of P2P Board of Directors.  The guests were Dr. David Clifford, professor of neuropharmacology at Washington University in St. Louis and myself.  The primary topic was HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. 

Ethiopia, Triangular Partnership and the Diaspora

The non-governmental organization People to People (P2P) Inc. has just released a pre-publication edition of its new book Triangular Partnership: The Power of the Diaspora edited by Enawgaw Mehari, Kinfe Gebeyehu, Katy Dickinson and Matt Watts. 

P2P developed the concept of the Triangular Partnership in an effort to give something back and make a difference in the Ethiopian health care sector.  The Triangular Partnership draws on the Ethiopian diaspora to connect western and Ethiopian health care institutions.  The Ethiopian diaspora in the United States alone is estimated to number between a half million and more than a million persons.  Among the number are an estimated 1,000 physicians of Ethiopian origin living in North America.  Many other Ethiopians, including health professionals, have migrated to other parts of the world.  The essays in this book by a variety of specialists show how the Triangular Partnership has worked in Ethiopia and offer lessons for diasporas from other countries. 

Ethiopia, Healthcare, and NGOs

The Ethiopian NGO, People to People, asked me to make remarks on 27 November 2012 at a symposium on medical education and healthcare in Africa hosted by the University of Kentucky. My remarks cover the massive health care challenges in Africa, the role of NGOs in healthcare coordination and advocacy and the impact of the brain drain.

Click here to read the remarks.

Video on Diaspora and Ethiopian Health Care

People to People (P2P), a non-governmental organization that I have been associated with since its inception, has produced a 13 minute video discussion with Ethiopian medical professionals titled Strengthening Ethiopia's Healthcare Systems: The Diaspora and Telehealth. The film has interviews with physicians at Addis Ababa University/Black Lion Hospital, St. Paul's Millennium Medical College, Gondar Hospital/University, and Bahir Dar Hospital/University.

P2P is trying to harness for Ethiopia the human capital of the global Ethiopian diaspora to address the severe shortage of physicians, health professionals and medical and health infrastructure. P2P facilitates and supports visiting diaspora physicians and professionals who volunteer time in-country to give lectures, conduct training and support their peers. P2P's activities are positive contributions to a better Ethiopia.

Click here to view the video.