🔅 China’s Annual Africa Tour Making the West Look Like Weekend Tourists
Britain’s “Double-Whammy” Africa Nurse-Grab & The Hidden Crisis Keeping Kids Out of Class
Good Morning from Seychelles!
China’s Africa Tour: The Annual Tradition That’s Making the West Look Like Weekend Tourists
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is back at it again—kicking off his new year with a tour of Africa for the 35th year in a row. Yep, you read that right: a 35-year streak. While Western governments scramble to handle everything from election dramas to wars and economic woes, Beijing is quietly (but very consistently) deepening its roots across Africa’s resource-rich continent.
Here’s the gist:
Africa Trip 101:
Wang Yi’s itinerary this time includes Namibia, the Republic of Congo, Chad, and Nigeria.
Why does it matter? Beijing’s biggest moves often happen while everyone else is too distracted by global crises (or in the U.S. case, domestic politics and the next potential president).
This Isn’t a One-Off Love Affair:
China’s been swinging by Africa every new year—every new year—for over three decades. They’ve made it a hardcore tradition, in contrast to, well, the West, whose approach to Africa is best described as inconsistent at best.
Case in point: President Joe Biden? He’s visited sub-Saharan Africa only once in his entire presidency. And China? They basically treat Africa as their must-see BFF at the top of their January calendar.
Why Africa Still Matters (to China, at least):
Infrastructure Projects: Chinese state-owned companies are looking for fresh construction gigs—and Africa’s got lots of roads, bridges, railways, and power grids still in need of building.
Critical Minerals: EVs, solar panels, and batteries all require those precious metals, and Africa’s got a whole bunch. China sees a golden opportunity while the West is still thinking about where to dig next.
UN Votes: Africa has 50+ nations in the UN, so that’s a big voting bloc for pushing through Beijing-friendly policies. Think human rights debates, trade rules, and a general re-interpretation of global “norms.”
Congo & Chad: Why They’re on the List
The Republic of Congo co-chairs the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Translation: they help define the big to-do list for Sino-African relations each year. Visiting them = a big sign that Beijing is serious about last summit’s commitments, i.e. $51 billion in fresh assistance.
Chad, meanwhile, is a hotbed of regional security issues—France is pulling out its troops, and China’s stepping in. From the French or U.S. point of view, it’s “controversial” that Beijing is cozying up to new military juntas in the region. From many African governments’ vantage point, though, it’s more about a stable partner who’s actually showing up.
Bottom line: China’s consistent “I got your back, Africa” approach is paying off. While other global powers (looking at you, U.S. and Europe) alternate between benign neglect and sporadic visits, Beijing’s locked into its annual routine, forging real alliances and winning hearts, minds, and resources. And in a world where consistency often trumps big talk, that approach has Africa leaning heavily East.
Britain’s “Double-Whammy” Nurse-Grab: Cutting Aid While Poaching Health Workers
Imagine you’re in the middle of a chaotic shift, short on staff, and every call bell has become a personal alarm clock for your (very tired) brain cells. Now, imagine that feeling scaled up to a whole country’s health system—and then throw in the fact that the UK just swoops in to nab your best nurses like they’re drafting an all-star team. Yep, that’s the story here people.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) did some digging and found that while the UK was busy slashing health aid to some of the world’s most vulnerable countries (think Ghana, Nigeria, Nepal, etc.), it was simultaneously recruiting scads of nurses from these very same places!
We’re talking about a massive drop in direct health-related UK aid to so-called “red list” countries—down 63% between 2020 and 2023—while the number of nurses from those nations on the UK register nearly tripled (from 11,386 to 32,543 in four years).
The Aid Cuts
From £484m to £181m for health-related projects in “red list” countries, which already struggle with nurse shortages. Ouch.
Spending on projects to boost those countries’ own healthcare workforce was slashed by 83%.
The Nurse Imports
The UK’s health service: “We need more nurses—pronto!”
The “red list” countries’ response: “But we kinda need them too…”
Result: 32,543 nurses from these severely understaffed countries now on the UK register (up from 11,386).
The Politics Bit
Remember when the UK’s foreign aid budget got cut from 0.7% to 0.5% of gross national income? That was courtesy of the Boris Johnson era. A lot of people expected Labour to swoop in and crank it back up, but spoiler alert—they didn’t. Now, RCN’s general secretary says it’s high time for the current government to fix it by restoring the full budget.
In short: Nurses from Africa, Asia, and beyond are essential to the UK—but the same countries losing them are receiving far less funding to shore up their own health systems. That’s like asking your neighbor for sugar every day while you also drain their water supply.
Uganda's Hidden Crisis Keeps Kids Out of Class
Think your college loans were tough? Meet Shalom Mirembe, a Ugandan student whose battle to stay in school makes student debt look like pocket change. Last month, she was sent home over unpaid fees on the same day her father lay dying in a hospital.
This is symptomatic of the education system in Uganda and many other African countries, where the struggle isn't just about hitting the books—it's about finding the money to stay in class at all.
Here's a reality check: in a country where the average person makes just $864 a year, top government-funded schools are charging nearly $700 per three-month term. If that sounds like bad math, well, that's because it is.
The World Bank reports that 54% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa rank school fees as their biggest financial headache—higher than medical bills or other expenses. In Uganda, it's the top money worry for 40% of adults.
And then there’s the private school paradox: Private schools have popped up across Uganda like mushrooms after rain, turning education into what some critics call a "market stall." These schools are filling a gap left by the government, sure, but they're also filling their pockets—and emptying parents'.
Some of these schools get creative with their fees. Need to contribute to a new school bus? Check. Laboratory equipment? You got it. A ream of paper and a bag of cement? Yes, really.
This is why the future of a child in many African countries often hangs by the thread of a few hundred dollars—and where "staying in school" isn't just advice, it's a daily battle.
Food for Thought
“A child brought up where there is always dancing cannot fail to dance.”
— Zambia Proverb
Wow, a 35-year streak for China visiting the Africa? Let's catch up, U.S.!