Africa: Africans Deserve to Know Details of Deals their Leaders Sign with China
China's footprints are all over the African continent, signing deals with many countries. However, the finer details of China-Africa loans are often kept secret. There are concerns that African countries are mortgaging their natural resources as collateral for the loans. The China-Africa deals ought to be transparent, and the public has the right to scrutinise the agreements.
The news of China taking over Sri Lanka’s port and 15000 hectares of land on a 99 year lease recently raised questions and debate on the African continent about the kind of agreements African presidents are signing with China. The deal which has raised eyebrows was signed between two state firms, Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and China Merchants Port Holdings.
The South African parliament, led by the minority...