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State of Africa – Parameters and Legacies of Governance 195 PART 3 External Relations and Issue Areas CHAPTER 12 Africa and the Emerging Global South Osita Agbu Introduction To discuss Africa alongside the Emerging Global South (EGS) implies that Africa is part of the South, but not part of the EGS. So, what is the EGS? And are all African countries excluded from the category of EGS? These questions are just food for thought as we delve into the subject of this chapter. Of course, there is really no way we can examine the subject without bearing in mind the context within which Africa is to be discussed vis-à-vis the EGS. It is a context characterised by the increasing enmeshment of nations, peoples and spaces, and in which distance ceases to be a critical factor in interactions among nations and peoples. Buoyed up by trade, communications technology and supersonic jetliners, it demands more intelligence, cooperation, communication and movement than hitherto was required. However, it is important to note that in recent times, globalisation has been increasingly enabled by the need to access inputs into production and proÀtably dispose of products of industrialisation. In other words, obtaining access to raw materials and accessing markets for sale of products. It is, therefore, within the context of nations cooperating to access raw materials and markets that Africa becomes signiÀcant in any discourse of international trade and global political economy. Further, the dynamics of globalisation have catalysed varied efforts at regional and even continental integration around the world. In Africa, apart from the subregional groupings, there are now talks about the African Union (AU) government all in a bid to respond effectively and proactively to the vicissitudes of globalisation. Generally, the ‘South’ idea could be traced to the 7th Special Session of the UN General Assembly in 1975, in which a resolution concerning ‘Development and International Cooperation’ was adopted. Initiated by the semi-periphery group of countries, section V1 of this resolution dealt speciÀcally with cooperation among developing countries. In 1978, the Special Unit for South–South Cooperation in the UN Development Programme (UNDP) was established by the General Assembly. Its primary mandate was to promote, coordinate and support South–South and triangular cooperation in the UN system and globally .1 According to this unit, the term, ‘South–South cooperation’ refers to 196 Africa Institute of South Africa PART 3 External Relations and Issue Areas Africa and the Emerging Global South the broad framework for collaboration among countries in the global South, thus deÀned by their political, economic, social, environmental and technical domains. South–South cooperation takes place at bilateral, subregional and inter-regional bases. In addition, ‘triangular cooperation’, refers to cooperation arrangements in which northern development partners and international organisations support South–South cooperation.2 The ‘South’ concept has both geographical and economic connotations. It is important to observe that whilst most, if not all, countries of the southern hemisphere are poor, underdeveloped or developing as the case may be, those in the northern hemisphere, Europe, America and Japan are mostly developed . It is also instructive that even among the countries of the South, there are signiÀcant differences in levels of development. However, this notwithstanding , the desire of the countries of the southern hemisphere to present a common front in addressing global inequality and inequities has contributed to the emergence of South–South cooperation. To now talk of an emerging global South implies a special category of southern countries. Indeed, it is plausible to create and espouse this category based on certain assumptions. The Àrst is that this category comprises countries that have risen from the gridlock of globalisation to become key players in global economics and politics, such as Brazil, India, China and, perhaps, South Africa and some other Asian economies. The second assumption is that these countries have transcended the backwardness, poverty and constraints characteristic of global South countries. And the Ànal assumption is that because of this development, they are now in a position to assist or cooperate with other South countries towards enhancing their lot. But, to what extent are these assumptions true? What stops an emerging global South country from behaving like one of the developed countries of the North? Today, South–South relations have deepened and widened to include monetary , Ànancial, investment and trade arrangements, especially in the context of efforts made towards regional and subregional integration in the South. Civil society and the private sector have also emerged as signiÀcant...

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