ADOW: Africa is underselling itself. If you doubt it, look at Beijing pacts
Chinese President Xi Jinping (front row, centre) with African leaders, including Kenya's William Ruto (R) and Senegal's Bassirou Diomaye Faye (L), at the recent 9th Focac in Beijing. PHOTO: FILE
African flea markets in towns and cities, from Lome in Togo to Pemba in Mozambique, are a daily hive of activity as vendors sell their wares, ranging from nail cutters and plastic brooms to mobile phones, solar panels and much more as African life gradually modernises to keep up with what it means to live in the 21st century.
The common thread in these markets is that most products are stamped and printed with the words “Made in China” and, while the vendors eke out a living hawking these assorted wares, most of them do not know that one of the major reasons there is such access to China-made goods is the concerted work and negotiations done through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (Focac).
