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Strategies & Market Trends : 2026 TeoTwawKi ... 2032 Darkest Interregnum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (201251)	9/5/2023 6:46:02 AM
From: TobagoJack	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 217518

Re <<size>> France shrinking geographic footprint, cannot use gun and pull an Algeria, as world watching minute by minute.

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (201251)	9/5/2023 6:57:09 AM
From: TobagoJack	Respond to of 217518

More on Message 34404327 France, Ecowas, Nigeria, and the territories just liberated from French colonialism that be Niger and Gabon politico.com What Nigeria’s election means for U.S.-China rivalry By LAWRENCE UKENYE, MATT BERG and ALEXANDER WARD 03/06/2023 04:02 PM EST With help from Lee Hudson and Daniel Lippman Subscribe here \| Email Alex \| Email Matt As the U.S. works to re-engage Africa at a time when China’s influence on the continent looms large, a recent election in Nigeria, the continent’s largest economy, could signal how Washington’s increased outreach is being received. Last week, Nigerians elected BOLA TINUBU, who hails from the All Progressives Congress party, to serve as the country’s next president following a tumultuous election cycle riddled with voter intimidation and suspected voting irregularities. Despite concern from foreign election observers in the country, the State Department quickly congratulated Tinubu on his victory. That muted response could have a lot to do with … China, some analysts say. “I think the Biden administration wants to be liked by Africans and is sensitive to the charge that has been made by Africans that [the U.S.] is paternalistic and overly critical of their models of governance,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ CAMERON HUDSON said. That has pushed many African countries to develop closer ties with China, he said, because Beijing doesn’t call them out over how they govern. The State Department did not immediately respond to NatSec Daily’s request for comment. African countries have repeatedly claimed they don’t want to pick sides between the U.S. and China, but Nigeria may look to partner with each country where it suits their interests, which could further accelerate the competition on the continent. “[Nigeria] is going to want to have its cake and eat it too,” Hudson said. “It’s going to want to take what it needs and what it can get from China and what it needs from Washington.” MUHAMMADU BUHARI, the country’s outgoing president, worked to cultivate cozier relations between Nigeria and China, leading to a slew of massive infrastructure projects including trains, highways and airport renovations. Chinese tech giant Huawei has also established a major presence within the country, raising concerns that Nigeria may have used the company to conduct public surveillance ahead of the election. But Nigeria also maintains a security partnership with the U.S. through weapons sales and counterterrorism operations against Islamist group Boko Haram. (Though Congress is trying to halt an already-approved sale of 24 attack helicopters to Nigeria due to concerns about the country’s alleged human rights abuses.) A slowdown in Washington’s weapons supplies could open the door for a security partnership with China, said W. GYUDE MOORE, a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development. “Africa comprises one of the biggest portions of China’s weapons sales,” Moore said. “So it is possible if the U.S. were to completely close the door so that Nigeria has no access to U.S. materials, then it makes sense for Nigeria to seek others.” In 2017, China opened its first overseas military base in Djibouti, and the Pentagon believes that Beijing is eyeing an installation in West Africa on the Atlantic coast. Despite the power dynamic between both superpowers, Moore believes there likely won’t be a drastic shift in Nigeria’s foreign policy considering the party in power will remain the same. “I think the most of the changes we’re going to see are going to be more in domestic policy,” Moore said. “The new president has been around Nigerian politics for a long time.” Sent from my iPad

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (201251)	9/5/2023 7:01:16 AM
From: TobagoJack	Respond to of 217518

Following up with more dots to later connect. It is good-good that Africa Nigeria did not say “no” to China China China as some would want. Unclear Team USA Africa Command can stop desert. english.news.cn Feature: China-backed project helps Nigeria build "green wall" against desertification This aerial photo taken on June 5, 2023 shows the site of a desertification control project in the Kunchi local government area in Kano state, Nigeria. (Xinhua/Guo Jun) The China-assisted project is off to a good start in combating desertification and building a "green wall" in Nigerian states bordering the Sahara Desert, the world's largest desert. by Olatunji Saliu, Guo Jun ABUJA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- A vast expanse of yellow sand came into sight as a convoy of three vehicles left behind crowded buildings in Kano city and drove further north into the arid landscape of north Nigeria's Kano state, where the encroaching desert threatens the ecosystems and livelihood of local people. Umar Danladi Dahiru, a passionate environmentalist, led the convoy to the site of a desertification control project in the state launched by the African Desertification Control Initiative (ADCI) in Nigeria, with support from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Dahiru pointed at piles of firewood on the roadside when the vehicles passed villages amid desert areas sparsely dotted with green trees, grass and crop field, saying they were for sale and that most people in Kano, especially in rural areas, still rely on wood for daily cooking and night lighting. "The climate in Kano is dry, rainfall is scarce, and the land is fragile," said Dahiru, director of the ADCI in Nigeria, a non-governmental organization. "But you cannot stop people from cutting down trees because they must cook and eat." He lamented that population growth, irrational land use and deforestation are among the factors that exacerbated land degradation and desertification in northern Nigeria. Launched last year, the China-assisted project is part of the African Union-led Great Green Wall Initiative in Nigeria, sitting on about four hectares of sandy land fenced by barbed wire near the Gwarmai village in the Kunchi local government area of Kano. Dahiru said the project is off to a good start in combating desertification and building a "green wall" in Kano and other Nigerian states bordering the Sahara Desert, the world's largest desert. "So the intention is that for research, for demonstration, for farmers to come and see what we are doing so that they can copy from us," Dahiru said. He said four native tree species were planted in this area. Dahiru said that the biggest challenge of the current project is the need for more water. According to the 53-year-old environmentalist, the ADCI once drilled a water well nearby, but some time ago, a strong wind destroyed the water tower. The well is now silted and cannot be used, prompting the two maintenance personnel of the project to collect water from the village borehole several kilometers away every day to water the saplings. Dahiru used to work for the agricultural ministry until he left more than a decade ago to devote himself to a career in desertification control because of concerns about threats to his homeland and his passion for environmental protection. He has traveled to China several times to attend training courses and seminars on combating desertification. "I have been to China several times as a resource person for conferences," Dahiru said, adding that "we have learned a lot from the Chinese expertise in terms of desertification control." He was fascinated by the innovative technology he discovered in China, which involved afforestation with brackish water in flowing sand, non-irrigated afforestation technology and vegetation restoration in activated sand. Two maintenance workers plant a sapling at the site of a desertification control project in the Kunchi local government area in Kano state, Nigeria, on June 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Guo Jun) Project maintainer Tanimu Lawal, a former employee of the environment ministry who left a year ago to join ADCI, now leads a volunteer recruited in Gwarmai village in the day-to-day maintenance of the project. At dawn every morning, Lawal, who lives in another village not far from Gwarmai, comes to the project site together with the volunteer, watering the saplings and digging pits to plant trees. Pointing to half-moon-shaped tree pits in front of him, he said that the shape of the tree pit is convenient for water storage and conducive to the growth of saplings. In addition to water scarcity, Lawal said, the challenge of planting trees in desert areas includes mobilizing people to participate in the project. "We mobilize the people and tell them how to care for the plants that we already planted. We are trying to plant this for controlling the desertification of the area," he said, adding he admired the ability of the Chinese government and institutions to mobilize on major projects. He is also eager to go to China to learn about sand control technology. Bala Muhammed, the volunteer, has family roots in Gwarmai village. For him, being directly involved in this project means a lot to the village, which currently has more than 50 families. "We are grateful for this intervention that has been helpful to us. Honestly, we usually have issues with sand and wind. When it occurs, it often affects our houses, and in the worst case, it brings the houses down completely," Muhammed said. In recent years, he noted, some people in the village had moved to find a life in the city because they could not stand the increasingly severe sandstorms. But his family, he said, is attached to their homestead and has been hesitant to move for years. This project gives him a reason to stay. Through his participation in the project, Muhammed has learned about some of China's success stories in combating desertification. He hopes his persistent endeavors will someday transform his village into a lush oasis, even if it takes several decades or longer.¦ Sent from my iPad

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (201251)	9/5/2023 7:04:03 AM
From: TobagoJack	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 217518

Dot … ft.com China affords Nigeria ‘super’ target status Activities give sense of the importance Chinese companies in several sectors attach to country’s potential June 28 2023 Bold ambition: ‘Nigeria is the hub for business in Africa’ © Alamy Stock Photo The dream of establishing smartphone “super apps” that can operate across Africa’s markets is galvanising Chinese investment into Nigeria. Nigeria, with about 220mn people, is the continent’s most populous country and its biggest economy. So, when two Chinese-backed fintech companies hatched ambitions to build African versions of Chinese mobile payment giants Alipay or WeChat Pay, they decided to start in Lagos. “[We are building] a very, very super app,” says Chika Nwosu, managing director of PalmPay, one of the Chinese-backed mobile payments start-ups. “Nigeria is the hub for business in Africa.” Also open for business in Ghana, PalmPay has seen its active users grow fivefold to 25mn over the past year and plans to expand to Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, Nwosu says. So-called super apps aim to be one-stop shops for a range of services, and PalmPay’s offering through its smartphone app is increasingly comprehensive. Users in Nigeria can pay utility bills, top up mobile phone accounts, pay about 500,000 merchants for a variety of goods and services, make bank transfers, arrange loans, receive money and perform a host of other transactions. Model: ‘super apps’ aim to be one-stop shops for host of transactions Nigerians are able to conduct about 80 per cent of their financial lives through the PalmPay app on their phones, according to Nwosu. By early next year, he says, new features will increase this to “100 per cent”. The boldness of such a model, combined with the successful examples of Asian super apps, has drawn strong backing from international investors and fomented an intense competition for market share that is helping to drive a digital revolution. PalmPay is backed by Transsion, a Chinese mobile phone company that dominates Africa’s smartphone market, plus Chinese internet company NetEase, Taiwanese chipmaker MediaTek, and a clutch of Chinese funds. Its main rival, OPay, was valued at $2bn when it raised $400mn in 2021 from Chinese investors and SoftBank Vision Fund 2. OPay chief Yahui Zhou, a top web game developer, said “financial inclusion” was his goal when he announced a strategic partnership last year with Mastercard in several countries in Africa and the Middle East. In Nigeria, where the World Bank says 64 per cent of adults remain unbanked, most people still pay by cash. But, with smartphones available in Lagos shops for as little as $50, people are increasingly making cashless transactions. Almost all of Transsion’s smartphones — which bear the bestselling Tecno, Infinix and Itel brands — are sold with the PalmPay app pre-installed, giving the app immediate traction. PalmPay and OPay’s decision to focus on Nigeria gives a sense of the importance that Chinese companies attach to the country’s potential. It became one of the top five Chinese investment destinations in Africa in 2020, after Kenya, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia, according to Merics, a Berlin-based think-tank focused on China. The cumulative value of Chinese foreign direct investment into Nigeria by 2021 was more than $20bn, according to Cui Jianchun, China’s ambassador to Nigeria. He cites the Abuja-Kaduna and Lagos-Ibadan railways, new airport terminals, the Lekki deep water port and Zungeru hydropower station as key infrastructure projects financed by Chinese state banks. The finance they offer helps Chinese companies win crucial contracts. For instance, Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications giant, is dominating the installation of 5G telecoms base stations after MTN, the South African mobile operator, chose to roll out 5G services in the country using Huawei equipment. However, the position that Huawei holds in basic telecoms infrastructure, coupled with the popularity of PalmPay and OPay super apps, has raised concerns among some Nigerian officials over potential future Chinese dominance in digital infrastructure and data. “We always need to be pragmatic to balance Chinese influence,” says one government official, who declined to be identified. “Chinese loans to the government have been growing and there is always secrecy. We need to be careful.” Such statements urging caution are joined by others highlighting Chinese resourcefulness. “The Chinese are pretty relentless,” says a senior Nigerian banker, who asked not to be identified. “They have delivered a lot of important infrastructure projects for us.” This resourcefulness was on display at the Lagos Motor Fair held at the Federal Palace hotel in Lagos in June, where scores of exhibitors promoted auto parts to Nigerian customers. Almost all stalls were taken by Chinese companies and, at most counters, salespeople who had flown in from China told roughly the same story of starting small and growing businesses in Nigeria, patiently, from the grassroots. “We don’t have more than a few clients in Nigeria,” said Chen Xiaoling of Zhejiang Gold Intelligent Suspension Corp, which already sells car parts in Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and South Africa. “The middle class here is not yet large but we have to prepare for one day when the market starts to mature.” The only sign of US presence at the show was a large Ford pick-up truck parked near the entrance. No sales executive appeared on hand to explain Ford’s approach to the market. Sent from my iPad