Ambassadors Breakfast meeting – Africa China Europe with focus on One Belt, One Road – Part 3
(this is part 3 of a 7-part series, see Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7 here)
On 27 March 2019, the Africa Practice at Specht & Partner co-organized the Ambassadors Breakfast meeting on “Africa China Europe with focus on One Belt, One Road (OBOR)”.
The Breakfast meeting was co-organized with the Austrian Chinese Business Association (ACBA) and Society Magazin. Our panelists included H. E. Mrs Faouzia Mebarki, Ambassador of Algeria, H.E Mr Li Xiosi Ambassador of the Republic of China, H.E. Mrs Vivian Nwunaku Rose Okeke Ambassador of Nigeria, Mr M. Elyes Lakhal, Minister Counselor of the Embassy of Tunisia, Univ. Prof Dr, Adams Bodomo, and Mr DI Omar Al-Rawi member of the Local Council of Vienna, and Chairman of the Strabag Works Council. The meeting was well attended by members of the corporate, diplomatic, and NGO community interested in the OBOR project.
The Panel Discussion
(Pictured from left to right) H.E. Ambassador Vivian Nwunaku Rose Okeke, (Ambassador of Nigeria to Austria) Prof Dr Adams Bodomo (Professor of African Studies University of Vienna) and H.E. Ambassador Mr. Li Xiosi (Chinese Ambassador to Austria)
One of the guest panelists at the breakfast was Professor Adams Bodomo from Ghana. Adams Bodomo is Director of the Global African Diaspora Studies (GADS) Research Centre at the University of Vienna, Austria where he is Chair Professor of African Studies (Languages and Literature). Professor Bodomo has done pioneering work on twenty- first century Africa– Asia studies, with a particular focus on the African Diaspora in China, African diaspora remittances, Africa’s experiences with globalization, and on the linguistic and cultural relations between Africa and Asia. He is the author of well-cited works on African diaspora in China, on African diaspora remittances, and on Chinese investment in Africa, three of which are: Africans in China: A Socio-Cultural Study and its Implications on Africa-China Relations, „African diaspora remittances are better than foreign aid funds: diaspora-driven development in the 21st Century“ and The Globalization of Foreign Investment in Africa: The Role of Europe, China and India.
Talk of Professor Adams Bodomo at the Ambassadors Breakfast meeting – Africa China Europe with focus on One Belt, One Road
Professor Adams Bodomo welcomes the OBOR initiatives and explains that it is not simply an infrastructure project but includes industrial development and financial cooperation while fostering trade and commerce, and increasing interconnectedness amongst people, via railways and ports. In also highlighting the challenges posed by the initiative, he reminded African countries to negotiate to achieve win-win conditions for themselves, while being mindful of debt diplomacy and ensuring that the continent does not fall into further debt. He also called for the prevention of corruption and increased transparency.
To learn more about the Ambassadors Breakfast meeting – Africa China Europe with focus on One Belt, One Road, please visit the other articles in our series:
Part 1: Dr. Leopold Specht’s remarks on the One Belt, One Road initiative
Part 3: Professor Adams Bodomo of Ghana, Director of the Global African Diaspora Studies (GADS) Research Center at the University of Vienna, Austria, Chair of African Studies (Languages and Literature) (current page)
Part 7: DI Omar Al-Rawi, member of the Socialist Party of Austria