Africa: A new economy of transformation (Part.2)

For a decade, a new processing industry has been set up by African states. The Ivory Coast, for example, the world's leading cocoa producer, wants to play a central role in the local processing of its materials, as does Gabon for the wood industry. The legitimate aspiration of Africans is to build a new era, in a more equal relationship between producing countries and international groups. The ambition is to play an active role in the transformation, breaking the "curse of raw materials", a dogma that condemns resource-rich underdeveloped countries to economic stagnation despite their wealth.

These new types of partnerships between Western entrepreneurs and local actors are increasing on the continent. This is the case, for example, on the island of Sao Tomé, off the coast of Gabon, where a handful of entrepreneurs have decided to launch into the high-end chocolate market. “Grand crus” with 82% cocoa, such as the one produced by the niche brand Diogo Vaz, have earned an international reputation. Cameroon's cocoa growers' cooperatives are also attracting the kings of European gastronomy. Aristide Tchemtchoua is the president of one of these Cameroonian cooperatives and is very proud to have sold several tons of cocoa beans to Alain Ducasse. She actively contributes to the improvement of the Nkog-Ekogo region located in Central Cameroon. On the national media Cameroon Tribune, Aristide Tchemtchoua revealed that a shipment of about 80 tons sold at 1,650 FCFA per kg is worth 132 million FCFA. She explains: "1,300 francs go to the planter and 350 francs to the cooperative. Exporting the beans has the advantage of allowing the planters to deal directly with the chocolate makers without going through intermediaries, and thus to have more profits."