The Big Apple of Africa

Kigali, Rwanda

Kigamboni, Tanzania

New capital of Equatorial Guinea

"Oyala (also known as Djibloho) is a city in current construction to be the future capital of Equatorial Guinea replacing the city of Malabo. It is a planned city which is expected to finish building on an unspecified date in a place chosen for its easy access and climate benign. It is to be located in Wele-Nzas Province, near the town of Mengomeyén.

The city was designed by Portuguese studio for architecture and urbanism IDF - Ideias para o Futuro (Ideas for the Future), and is projected to have around 200,000 inhabitants, a new Congress building, a number of Presidential villas and an area of 8150 hectares."

Note:  Other planned cities in Africa are: Abuja, Nigeria; Gaborone, Botswana; Dodoma, Tanzania; Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire; Konza, Kenya; Ramciel, South Sudan; and Lusaka, Zambia.

See also http://aftermath2022.blogspot.com/2012/12/equatorial-guinea-has-new-capital.html

Djibouti

"By the year 2030 Djibouti will have taken the undeniable position as the leading port in East Africa, surpassing Mombasa, Kenya. The presence of a modern and efficient port in the region will greatly increase economic participation of East African countries and, in particular, South Sudan and Ethiopia. The creation of a manufacturing sector for processing raw goods coming from Ethiopia and South Sudan will provide much needed jobs to Djibouti’s largely unskilled labor force. With such a small population, Djibouti will see its per capita GDP rise quickly and it will provide a model of economic openness for other small, coastal African countries. Countries investing in this area will see increasing return on investment as they tap into previously unavailable markets and resources in the region."  From: http://www.wikistrat.com/insights-from-the-wiki-djibouti-africas-next-trade-hub/

Konza, Kenya

The BBC spotlights Kenya begins construction of 'silicon' city Konza...

"Kenya's president has launched a $14.5bn (£9.1bn) project to build a new city intended to be an IT business hub and dubbed "Africa's Silicon Savannah". It will take 20 years to build Konza Technology City about 60km (37 miles) from the capital, Nairobi. [...] Konza is part of the government's ambitious Vision 2030 initiative to improve much-neglected infrastructure over the next 18 years. [...] The 5,000-acre (2,011-hectare) site was a ranch to the south-east of Nairobi on the way to the port city of Mombasa. [...] The city wants to attract business process outsourcing, software development, data centres, disaster recovery centres, call centres and light assembly manufacturing industries. A university campus focused on research and technology as well as hotels, residential areas, schools and hospitals will also be built. The government has appointed the Konza Technopolis Development Authority to oversee the building of the IT hub, which will be built in four phases -- starting with the technology centres first."

Source: http://www.maximizingprogress.org/2013/01/konza-kenyas-silicon-savannah.html

East African Federation

The East African Federation may become its own country in the future.  It is a proposed political union of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.  South Sudan would also like to join at some point.  The countries are planning a monetary union with a common currency, the East African Shilling.  The languages would be English, French and Swahili.

Its capital is Arusha, which is an interesting city.  It's not the capital of Tanzania (Dodoma is), and its not the largest city in Tanzania (Dar es Salaam is).  It was founded by German settlers and Boer refugees.  It has hosted the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanada, and there is a successor organization which will keep a branch open in Arusha. (The other branch will be in the The Hague).  Tanzania itself is a merger of two countries, Tanganyika and Zanzibar, just like Belgium is (Wallonia and Flanders).

Chinese colonies in Africa

China is building colonies in Africa, where it can send people to relieve overpopulation, and where it can get farmland and natural resources.  They give loans to African countries but they always have strings attached, for example, they must use Chinese construction companies.

"Unlike with the Spratly Islands, Okinawa or Scarborough shoal, China doesn't need to occupy Africa militarily. As with other imperialist countries of the past, China knows that collaborators are the most efficient method of imperialism. China only needs to bribe Africa's corrupt leaders to get all the resources and land it needs.
China is proudly flaunting its $20bn of new loans to African countries. We've heard all this before and know that most of the money will end up in chinese and african dictators' pockets. Impoverished african nations will be fleeced over the next 30 years to service the debts incurred for expensive and shoddily built factories that were not needed in the first place. Roads will be built at exorbitant prices such as Sierre Leone's most expensive road in the world. This is the true face of China's poisoned embrace of Africa."
--http://witnesshr.blogspot.com/2012/07/chinas-new-african-colonies-sanctioned.html

There are currently 6 Chinese colonies in Africa.  They call them "Special Economic Zones".  They are: Mauritius-JinFei; Nigeria-Ogun; Nigeria-Lekki; Zambia-Chambishi/Lusaka; Egypt-Suez; Ethiopia-Eastern.

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Mauritius is becoming the Singapore of Africa.

"Unlike China’s five other SEZs in Africa which offer the potential for extraction, production and manufacturing, it is intended that the Jinfei zone will eventually house the headquarters for Chinese investments in Africa. As more information surfaces, it appears that the main role of the zone will be to provide offices, hotels, apartments, recreational services, schools and medical facilities."
--http://thinkafricapress.com/mauritius/sez-jinfei-china-problems-hasty-investment 

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See: http://www.chinaafricarealstory.com/2012/09/chinese-finance-abuja-light-rail-in.html

China is loaning Nigeria $500 million for the light rail project in Abuja.  Of course, the contractor is China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), so Chinese companies benefit even if the loan isn't repaid.

English speaking countries in Africa

How many countries in Africa have English as their official language?

• Botswana
• Cameroon (has both English and French as official languages)
• The Gambia
• Ghana
• Kenya (also Swahili)
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Malawi
• Mauritius, a group of islands off Madagascar
• Namibia
• Nigeria
• Rwanda (has both English and French)
• St. Helena, an island in the South Atlantic
• Sierra Leone 
• South Africa (also Afrikaans and native languages)
• South Sudan
• Sudan (also Arabic)
• Swaziland
• Tanzania (also Swahili)
• Uganda (also Swahili)
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

Update:  How many have Spanish as their official language?  The only one is Equatorial Guinea, as well as Spanish enclaves in Morocco (Ceuta and Melilla).

Luanda is booming

"Angola is now one of Africa’s economic successes—thanks almost entirely to oil. With a population of 20m, it has Africa’s fifth-biggest and fastest-growing economy. Between 2004 and 2008 its GDP surged by an average of 17% a year, topping 22% in 2007. It is the continent’s second-biggest oil producer after Nigeria. Foreign investment is pouring in at a rate of more than $10 billion a year. In the past decade GDP per person is said to have tripled."
--http://www.economist.com/node/21557811

Pan African Parliament

This is in Midrand (Johannesburg), South Africa.  Paid for by South African taxpayers.

Equatorial Guinea can defend itself

"One of the richest countries in Africa, Equatorial Guinea, is rapidly expanding its naval power. The fleet of the 600,000-strong country will be larger than that of 160 million-strong Nigeria. Is Africa preparing for a major war?

A few years ago the country's "Air Force" virtually existed only on paper and included only civil and trainer aircraft. However, more recently it purchased two batches of Ka-29 and Mi-26, and four Russian Su-25, as well as five attack helicopters Mi-24 and one Mi-17 helicopter.

The President did not forget about the army and acquired service mortars, Russian and Chinese artillery, and three older T-55 as well as approximately 40 different armored vehicles (BMP-1, BTR-152, and a small number of BRDM).

In addition to this serious for such a small country like Equatorial Guinea armored park, in 2006 by order of the current President its soldiers have carried out an explicit act of piracy, capturing 15 Belgian APCs Pandur on their way to perform peacekeeping tasks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As a result, despite the small size of its armed forces (2,500 people) in a purely technical sense it left behind most of its neighbors."
--http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/conflicts/07-02-2012/120436-equatorial_guinea-0/

New African Union headquarters opens in Addis Ababa

Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2012-01/30/content_14502354.htm

It was paid for by the Chinese government.

Largest Cities in Africa

These are in reverse order, with the largest at the bottom:

50 - N'Djamena, Chad
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Monrovia, Liberia
Maiduguri, Nigeria
Fes, Morocco
Cotonou, Benin
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Tripoli, Libya
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Benin City, Nigeria
Oran, Algeria
Brazzaville, Congo
Mogadishu, Somalia
Mbuji Mayi, DR Congo
Lubumbashi, DR Congo
Kumasi, Ghana
Kaduna, Nigeria
Conakry, Guinea
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Yaounde, Cameroon
Lusaka, Zambia
Antananarivo, Madagascar
Rabat, Moroco
Maputo, Mozambique
Bamako, Mali
Kampala, Uganda
Abuja, Nigeria
Douala, Cameroon
Harare, Zimbabwe
Tunis, Tunisia
Pretoria, South Africa
Dakar, Senegal
Luanda, Angola
Algiers, Algeria
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Ibadan, Nigeria
Kano, Nigeria
Nairobi, Kenya
Accra, Ghana
Durban, South Africa
Cape Town, South Africa
Casablanca, Morocco
Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
Alexandria, Egypt
Khartoum, Sudan
Johannesburg, South Africa
Kinshasa, DR Congo
Lagos, Nigeria
1. Cairo, Egypt

Eko Atlantic Lagos

The megacity of Brakin

Brakin is the name for the combined cities of Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, (population 1 million, urban area 1.5 million), and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (population 10 million).

Africom

Camp Lemonnier, is a former French foreign legion base and it is now the only US military base in Africa. It is the de facto headquarters of the US African Command, (official site) which however remains officially headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. It seems that Africom has a vision for Africa which nobody else has.

The way I understand it, Africa is divided into 7 regions:
1) Southern Africa, headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana, which I previously posted about
2) West Africa (ECOWAS), headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria, previously posted
3) Central Africa, headquartered in Libreville, Gabon
4) East Africa, headquartered in Arusha, Tanzania
5) Arab Maghreb Union, headquartered in Rabat, Morocco
6) Horn of Africa/IGAD, including Kenya and Sudan, headquartered in Djibouti
7) Egypt, which is in a class of its own

Here is an alternative point of view: New Colonialism: Pentagon Carves Africa Into Military Zones. "The U.S. is not dragging almost every nation in Africa into its military network because of altruism or concerns for the security of the continent’s people. AFRICOM’s function is that of every predatory military power: The threat and use of armed violence to gain economic and geopolitical advantages."

Libya has been hostile to Africom and the US/NATO activities there could be an attempt to establish bases in Africa.

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Update: There is some Africom presence at Cap Draa, Morocco. Also at Camp Simba, Manda Bay, Kenya.

Abuja, Nigeria

Abuja is also one of the most important cities in Africa. It is the "capital" of West Africa, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as well as the capital of Nigeria, which is the world's seventh largest country by population and which is English-speaking. ECOWAS uses the West African CFA franc as its currency although Nigeria uses the "naira". There is a plan or hope to replace these with a new currency called the "eco" by 2015.

Gaborone, Botswana

SADC Headquarters

Gaborone, Botswana is a planned city which was built in the 1960s. It has the headquarters of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It is only 9 miles from the South African border. Its role as the "capital" of Southern Africa makes it one of the most important cities in Africa.

Botswana is primarily English-speaking and has a per capita income of $7,627, and if viewed on a purchasing power parity basis it is much higher. The IMF states it at $15,489, which is 53rd in the world, and 3rd in Africa behind Seychelles and Equatorial Guinea.

The SADC could become an economic union using the Rand as its currency. The Rand is one of only 17 currencies in the world that are continuously linked.