The Asian giant pledges to spend millions of dollars in Africa over the next five years in return for greater access to its natural resources
Everyone's been watching China's expanding role in Africa for some time, but now the other Asian economic boomer of the moment Â? India Â? has joined the race, and it's already being labelled "the new scramble for Africa".
At the first India-Africa Forum this week, the Asian giant pledged to spend millions of dollars in Africa over the next five years in return for greater access to its natural resources. Many commentators are optimistic about the investment opportunities and the experience India has to offer, but the media have also raised serious concerns about whether Indian involvement will really turn out to be beneficial for Africa.
In Africa, much of the press coverage calls on the continent's leaders to make sure Africa reaps the full benefits of the opportunities available.
Uganda's New Vision online says Africa has a lot to gain from deeper links with India. There are lessons to learn from its strengths in agriculture, technology, financing and land tenure systems, and its development path offers a highly relevant example for Africa.
But Africa must not forget that India, like China, is interested in the continent for its own gain.
"Whereas there is a lot to be gained from this association, let us have no illusions about Asia's ardent courtship - this is a second scramble for Africa", the paper says.
"Our leaders have an obligation to walk into these partnerships with their eyes open and only agree to arrangements that will have long-term benefits for our respective nations or we will end up holding the short end of the stick again," the newspaper warns.
There's similar emphasis on the role of African leaders in Tanzanian newspaper The Citizen.
"While it is a good thing for Africa to attract foreign powers, African leaders must tread carefully to avoid being dragged into shady deals at the expense of their people," the paper writes. "Though poor, Africa's abundant natural resources are the major attraction for the developed countries. African leaders must not blindly encourage the new scramble."
In the Asian press, commentators caution that India and China mustn't forget Africa's needs in their rush to make the most of the opportunities available to them.
"India will have to tread with ethical and political caution in setting itself up as Africa's Â?benefactor'," India's Telegraph newspaper warns.
"It must remember that Africa is not a country but a continent of many countries, each of which demands a distinct understanding of poverty, disease, food security, corruption and political tyranny as well as economic promise and development," the newspaper says.
"Africa is a jewel in the jungle," a commentator for the China Daily newspaper writes. "It has turned out to be a partner that every country or region is eager to cooperate with."
This should be good news for the continent, the paper says, but there is a danger that the world will put its own "strategic" interests ahead of helping the continent to deal with its looming food crisis. With inflation rising, African households are expected to be hit particularly hard since they spend a relatively high proportion of their earnings on food, China Daily's commentator writes.
"While the rest of the world reaches out to Africa, this basic issue should come first," the paper says.
Britain's Economist magazine meanwhile points out that India's dealings in Africa have already shown some signs of compromising the wider needs of the continent for the sake of economic gain.
"India is no more squeamish than China about dallying with dictators. It happily does deals with the tyrants of Sudan; one recent contract was for a £200m ($400m) pipeline linking Khartoum to Port Sudan. Like China, India has refrained from criticising misrule in Zimbabwe," the magazine says.
India does some good in Africa too Â? helping out U.N. missions and offering to set up a $10 billion investment fund for continent, for example. And so far, because its transactions have been more modest, the country has avoided much of the criticism levelled at China's operations in the continent.
But that tide may now be changing, the Economist says: "The free pass may not be valid for long. The human rights advocates who berate China for complicity in the plight of Sudan's Darfur region are already beginning to turn their attention to India."
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