Why in spite of Africa’s abundant natural and human resources its people are still poor The independence of African countries from their European colonizers in the late 1950s and 1960s marked a shift in the continent's political leadership. Nevertheless, the economies of African nations remained tied to those of their former colonies, raising questions of resource control and the sovereignty of these nation-states. Who Owns Africa? addresses the role of foreign actors in Africa and their competing interests in exploiting the resources of Africa and its people. An interdisciplinary team of scholars, all experts in African studies, examines the concept of colonialism from a historical and socio-political perspective. They show how the language of investment, development aid, mutual interest, or philanthropy is used to cloak the virulent forms of exploitation on the continent, thereby perpetuating a state of neocolonialism that has left many African people poor and in the margins. The independence of African countries from their European colonizers in the late 1950s and 1960s marked a shift in the continent's political leadership. Nevertheless, the economies of African nations remained tied to those of their former colonies, raising questions of resource control and the sovereignty of these nation-states. Who Owns Africa? addresses the role of foreign actors in Africa and their competing interests in exploiting the resources of Africa and its people. An interdisciplinary team of scholars, all experts in African studies, examines the concept of colonialism from a historical and socio-political perspective. They show how the language of investment, development aid, mutual interest, or philanthropy is used to cloak the virulent forms of exploitation on the continent, thereby perpetuating a state of neocolonialism that has left many African people poor and in the margins. Acknowledgments Introduction From the European Scramble for Africa to the New Scramble Bekeh Utietiang Ukelina Chapter One The Political Economy of Contemporary Africa: Lessons from the Scrambles for Africa John K. Marah Chapter Two Decoding the Realpolitik of African States: The Paradox of Foreign Policy Options in a Context of Imperial Scramble Nene-Lomotey Kuditchar Chapter Three Doing Good: US Aid and Philanthropic Colonialism in Africa Bekeh Utietiang Ukelina Chapter Four The New Scramble and Its Economic Impact on West African Women Tokie Laotan-Brown Chapter Five “We Are Returning to Africa, and Africa is Coming Back to Us”: Israel’s Evolving Relations With Africa Asher Lubotzky Chapter Six China in Africa: Rethinking Development, the Role of the Nation State, and Neo-Benevolent Imperialism Seth N. Asumah Chapter Seven Governmentality of China in Africa: A New Scramble through Road and Belt Initiatives Kudakwashe Chirambwi Chapter Eight China’s Incidental Empire: How Chinese Energy Demand Created an Informal Empire in Africa Philip J. Murray Chapter Nine Malawi-China Relations: A Strategic But Weak Developmental Partnership Paul Chiudza Banda & Gift Wasambo Kayira Conclusion Reflections on Neocolonialism and the New Scramble Bekeh Utietiang Ukelina About the Authors