“Africa in the 21^st Century is a continent of potential. It is a place where democracy is advancing, where economies are growing,” said President George W. Bush, at the beginning of his six-day five-nation tour of Africa.

If the words of the US leader are anything to go by, why has his term seen the US humanitarian and development aid to Africa increase from $1.4 billion (2001) to $ 5.6 billion (2006)? In the wake of his visit, Tanzania, riddled by massive corruption, has bagged $ 750 million.

Africa must be wary of relationships that relegate the continent to a beggar status, encourage artificial economies and feed corrupt regimes. The continent indeed, has great natural and human resource potential. It must therefore build up confidence, look inward, exploit its resources and lay strategies to benefit from the China-US rivalry.