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The Times - Africa must drop the guilt card to strengthen its hand, by Bronwen Maddox, Chief Foreign Commentator

The poorest countries have a powerful case, backed up by many development academics, that their markets should be protected until they are better able to compete.

The excuses have come too fluently, however, and from the biggest and most competitive, not the poorest. The EU argues that some African governments are shielding their own big businesses — and are blocking services, such as cheaper mobile telephones, or transport — which could help Africans enormously.

The deadline is not a real one. There is the option to strike an interim agreement while working on a more solid deal; a dozen African countries have already done just that. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, hinted that there might be room for improving Europe’s offer on Friday. The EU meeting must at least decide whether to impose punitive tariffs on some African countries, or to keep talking.

But there is a contradiction in the position of some African leaders: wanting, in spirit, for Europe to treat Africa as an equal, yet wanting anything but that when it comes to formal trade deals.

Post-colonial rancour was a running theme of the summit, with Europe blamed for Africa’s underdevelopment and thus for the current wave of migration northwards. President Wade also gave Europe warning that it was in danger of losing the competition for the new Africa to China, which is rushing to pour billions into resources deals, no strings attached.

Guilt and fear: African leaders may extract something from the EU by pulling those strings. But they would do better with an argument based on the economics of trade and development — and only the poorest among them can make that.

Hmm.