AFRICA-ASIA ECONOMIC EXCHANGES: WHAT
STRATEGIES FOR A MUTUAL BENEFIT AND A SUSTAINABLE WORLD?
A workshop within the international and interdisciplinary conference “The Rise of Asia in Global History and Perspective”, France, February 9-11, 2022
A collaboration between:
Master’s
Degree in Exchanges with Asia, Université Le Havre Normandie, France
Laboratoire
des Afriques Innovantes, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
Third World Forum, Dakar, Senegal
Journal Financial Afrik, Dakar, Senegal
Since the last decades, we witness
the rise of economic exchanges between Africa and Asia. All the economic powers
of Asia have developed economic relations and organised summits with Africa:
Japan-Africa (since 1993), China-Africa (since 2006), Korea-Africa (since 2006),
India-Africa (since 2008), Turkey-Africa (since 2008), Iran-Africa (since
2010), Indonesia-Africa (since 2018), in addition to Russia-Africa (since
2019). In terms of intercontinental trade, Asia has become the most important
partner of Africa.
Yet, the place of Africa in
international trade remains marginal. The initiative of exchanges with Africa
comes mostly from outside Africa. There is a risk that Africa continues to be
an object instead of subject of exchanges and that the destiny of African people
is to be decided by foreign actors. Moreover, with the rise of Asia in economic
power, the inter-Asian exchanges are becoming more and more important,
surpassing their exchanges with other continents. The Asian countries find what
they need in Asia, whether they are raw materials, human resources, technology,
finance or market.
What is then the place of Africa in
its exchanges with Asia? What goods and what services are to be exchanged? What
strategies to be developed to make the exchanges “win-win” as the Asians like
to say? Would it be necessary to train business professionals supposed to play
a key role in the conception, planning, design, and implementation of exchange
policies between the two continents? These professionals, should they have not only
technical knowledge of international trade and its cultural, economic and
political dimensions, but also a sense of responsibility for the common
well-being, peace and justice in a sustainable world?
To answer those questions and many
others, the Master’s Degree in Exchanges with Asia at the Université Le Havre
Normandie, France, in collaboration with the Laboratoire des Afriques
Innovantes at the Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada, and the journal Financial
Afrik, Dakar, Senegal, organise a workshop “Africa-Asia Economic
Exchanges: What Strategies for a Mutual Benefit and a Sustainable World?”
within the international and interdisciplinary conference “The Rise of Asia
in Global History and Perspective: Covid-19 from Asia to the world: what assessment
and what perspective for a common future?” that will take place, physically
or virtually (to be decided towards the end of December 2021), in Paris and Le
Havre, France, February 9-11, 2022.
The workshop is open to individual
and group paper presentations: scholars, lecturers, researchers, business
professionals, staff of public service, journalists, graduate and doctoral
students etc. based in Africa, Asia, Europe and other regions are welcome.
Those willing to present their papers are invited to submit their proposals
until December 31, 2021. In order to be registered correctly and put into
archives systematically, all the abstracts are to be submitted online at the
following link: