“Brazil intends to have more influence on the African continent, where there is great potential, but coming from there, both the President and his advisers, realized that the task is Herculean, all due to the power that China has on the continent and also to the distance from Brazil to Africa since Dilma’s government,” Gilmar Tavares, a professor of Political Science in Portugal, told PLATAFORMA.
The aggressive Chinese policy is seen as the main obstacle, but Lula da Silva may, however, have an important say.
“Lula da Silva’s relationship with Xi Jinping has been special for many years, and this could be a trump card for Brazil to gain a share of the monopoly in Africa, especially in the Portuguese-speaking countries. China’s policy is very strong, with many multinational companies established in practically all countries, and even some African banks are in the hands of the Chinese, but Brazil’s political relationship with China leaves a door open,” says Gilmar.
In the opinion of the political scientist, there are also certain areas where China invests less, and where there is greater openness to doing business in Africa.
“Investments in agriculture and energy businesses. These are two, especially the first, where China does not dominate, there is a Russian hand in these fields. And there may be an opportunity for investment, because Russia is currently going through other types of difficulties. The sanctions they have been subjected to have also put a brake on many investments, especially in Africa, where they know that the return is not immediate,” says the expert, then advising the Lula government.
“A strategy is needed, first and foremost. Even before this visit to the African Union Summit, Lula’s government should have taken a prepared agenda, but it ended up being more of a prospecting trip. Nevertheless, this prospecting should have been done before, and when they got there, they would have had proposals to present. Now they will do the opposite, they will surely outline a strategy, let’s just hope it’s not too late, that others haven’t arrived first. Brazil is not the only one seeing Africa as a source of future income, as European and North American continents are bursting at the seams with investors and businesses, the next big economic niche will indeed be Africa,” he says.
Regarding the PALOP, Gilmar Tavares again points out that they would be a point of entry, as they have been before. “Undoubtedly, but as I have also said, China is already there, already dominating a large part of these countries. An attractive economic strategy will be needed, one that is capable of convincing skeptics, because there are many. There are many who only see China as having the economic capacity to invest in Africa, or at least with millions that others do not have,” he concluded.
