Zimpapers Logo

Lovemore Chikova Assistant Editor

A major event happened in Japan last week which brought a number of African leaders to the Asian country to discuss how to further cooperation on economic development.

President Mnangagwa was part of the event named the Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD 7) held in the city of Yokohama.

The conference created a platform for interaction between African leaders, the Japanese government and prospective Japanese investors.

It was business from day one, especially for President Mnangagwa, who participated in all the sessions and met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and various potential investors who expressed their interest in Zimbabwe.

If the conference managed to prove that economic cooperation between African countries and Japan is necessary, it also demonstrated that there is now a viable alternative in pushing forward the development of Africa.

TICAD, together with its Chinese equivalent called the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), have managed to prove that development alternatives for Africa are no longer coming from one side.

In fact, China and Japan are showing the world where the centre of attraction for emerging markets is shifting towards.

Not that African countries are totally turning a blind eye to the United States and other Western countries when it comes to enhancing their economic aspirations.

It is only that the African countries and other emerging economies are increasingly viewing China and Japan as offering a viable option.

It is not surprising then that the emerging markets throughout the world are associating themselves more with the Asian Tigers, whose developmental trajectory suits their situation better.

Many developing countries are now realising that the emphasis on private capitalism, liberal democracy and political rights can hardly put food on their table.

Of course, this is the system that worked for the Western world, especially from the era of the Industrial Revolution, but to the developing countries, economic progress has remained a mirage.

This is especially more pronounced when the developing countries compare the Western system with that being proffered by some of the Asian countries, especially China.

Everyone in the emerging economies now admires how the Asian countries managed to exploit state capitalism and focus on economic rights to take millions of their citizens out of poverty within a short period.

It is time that Western countries and developmental enthusiasts consider that there are now new models of economic development in other parts of the world that appeal more to emerging markets compared to the traditional ones from the West.

The Western system worked for countries in that region, but it has failed to uplift poor countries out of poverty.

Liberal economic prescriptions from the West like the economic structural adjustment programmes have left many countries in deep poverty and seeking new ways of redeeming themselves.

The emphasis on politics as a prerequisite for economic development being propagated by the West has also failed to work in developing countries. For instance, countries that are deemed not to practise the Western kind of democracy are denied an opportunity to participate in economic programmes that come with political strings.

With the emergence of countries like China and Japan, people in the emerging economies are slowly realising that there are now new systems that fit their economic aspirations.

This system comes as purely business, with no political strings attached.

Western democracy is a good and well-thought out concept, but it becomes a major limitation when it is used as a prerequisite for economic development.

Yet, the view of many in developing countries is that a good economy will result in the entrenchment of democracy, as it produces goods and services that satisfy citizens.

There are many people in emerging economics who find the talk about democracy nauseating simply because they are preoccupied with thinking about where their next meal is coming from.

To such people, the concept of democracy becomes just an illusion.

Without strong economies, political processes like the holding of elections face the reality of losing meaning to people in emerging economies.

President Mnangagwa is well aware of this fact, and this is evidenced by his pronouncement that it is now time to focus on the economy, instead of continuing being trapped in politics.

His emphasis on less politics and more on the economy is influenced by the realisation that political systems can function more effectively in an environment of economic progress.

It seems the opposition MDC-Alliance has failed to grasp this simple fact since the July 2018 harmonised elections which it lost.

For instance, a lot of people in Harare came out openly condemning the MDC-Alliance’s call for demonstrations which the party intended to hold on August 16.

The clear message from such people was that demonstrations are no longer an important aspect, with a concern that they disrupt their economic activities.

To these people, demonstrations are part of a type of politics that has failed to deliver food on their table.

The economy is much more important to them because it brings such necessities as food, accommodation, healthcare and education on their table, a feat which politics will not achieve.

Demonstrations and choosing leaders in a democratic way, like what happened in the elections last year, is well and good, but a good economy offers much more than just political freedom.

In this case, the thinking among those in emerging markets tends to drift towards a development model that underscores the economy which puts food on their table.

And that is the alternative being offered by the Asian economic giants.

In the past, people in the developing countries used to admire what the Western countries were offering.

But now there is an alternative.

People in the emerging markets are increasingly inclined towards pointing to countries like China and Japan for things they equally admire and want to have in their own countries. The Asian economic powerhouses now offer roads, railways, modern technology and the development of modern infrastructure that has become even the envy of some Western countries.

They also offer loans and grants, in most cases without attaching political strings, as opposed to the Western model, which considers interference in other countries’ internal affairs as a precondition for such aid.

The Asian countries’ emphasis is on win-win cooperation aimed at economic development based on purely business terms.

This is the system — which does not put emphasis on politics, but on the economy — which many people in developing countries point to as being the most ideal to bring about quick results.

These people watch the progress which is being made under the system being followed by Asian countries with envy and inspiration, and consider it the closest to assisting them in making it.

This is simply because these Asian countries have put emphasis on the economy as a way to empower their people to participate fully in the developmental process.

China has made remarkable headway in alleviating poverty in the last four decades, with its goal set on completely eradicating absolute poverty by next year.

Such an achievement under a democratic system totally different from the Western practice brings hope to fellow developing countries that they can follow the Chinese example and achieve their dreams.

Ultimately, a system that creates wealth and uplifts people from poverty within the shortest period of time is the one that will gain favour and traction among developing countries.

This means if the West continues on its trajectory of taking politics as a prerequisite for economic development, they risk losing out on the opportunities being offered in the emerging markets

Pursuing abstract ideas and politics is increasingly getting less takers in the emerging economies, where people are deeply worried about how their economies can be improved.

Feedback: [email protected]