Inauguration of New AU Headquarters Celebrates China's Rise in Africa

President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria with his wife

Welcome by the Ethiopians



Prime Minister of Ethiopia Meles Zenawi



Aerial view

Former President of Ghana - Jerry Rawlings

A snapshot of Africa leaders

Addis Ababa AU headquatres

 

 VOICE OF AMERICA - Africa is rising indeed. The African Renaissance has begun." Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi


The African Union has inaugurated a new headquarters with tributes to China's rise in Africa, and to the political prisoners who died in the jail that once occupied the site.


The new $200 million Chinese-built headquarters was officially opened by China's senior political adviser Jia Qinglin, standing in for Premier Hu Jintao.


In a speech to an audience of heads of state and African diplomats in the spectacular 2500-seat Grand Hall, Jia hailed the rapid growth of China-Africa relations. China's trade with African countries reached $150 billion last year, he said, a 13 fold increase in the past decade.


Others at the ceremony praised China as the model for Africa's economic growth.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi derided western economic prescriptions of the late 20th century as “medicine that turned out to be worse than the disease."


He singled out The Economist magazine for criticism, saying policies it advocated a decade ago had set the continent on the path to recolonization.


"The Economist, which espouses the very market fundamentalist ideas that wrecked our economies, had a banner headline in one of its issues which simply read, 'The Hopeless Continent.' Clearly, these pundits, these experts and international magazines had given up on Africa," Meles said.


The Ethiopian leader suggested that the recent rapid growth experienced by many African countries had coincided with the trend toward adoption of China's state-led economic model. He said western economists were having to reconsider their ideas in light of what he called “the African Renaissance."


"The pundits and academics who were publicly advocating for the recolonization of our continent have now refrained from doing so, at least in polite company," said Meles. "The very magazine that came up with the banner headline, 'The Hopeless Continent' a decade ago, has recently come up with a new banner headline that simply read, 'Africa Rising.' Africa is rising indeed. The African Renaissance has begun."


The ceremonies included dedication of a memorial to victims of the Red Terror campaign during the previous Ethiopian government led by Marxist dictator Mengistu Hailemariam. Prime Minister Meles noted that the new AU headquarters had been built over the site of the maximum security prison where opponents of the Mengistu regime were tortured and executed.


"People in Ethiopia used to call that infamous prison Alem Bekagn. Loosely translated it means, 'I have given up on this life.' This building, which will now house the headquarters of our continental organization, is built on the ruins of a prison that represented desperation and hopelessness."


African heads of state will convene Sunday for a two-day meeting in the new conference hall. The summit theme, "Boosting Intra-African Trade," is being overshadowed by several hotly contested elections for leadership posts.

AU Commission chairman Jean Ping's bid for a second term is being challenged by South Africa's veteran freedom fighter and former foreign minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The election, by a secret ballot of African heads of state, is set for Monday.

China - Africa relationship

The building in Addis is seen as a symbol of China’s new role in Africa. The African Union has inaugurated its newly built headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The entire $200m project was funded by China as a gift to the AU, as Beijing continues to strengthen its influence in Africa.



In front of African leaders a huge golden key was handed over and the 100m high building was officially opened. The tower overlooks a vast conference center where African heads of state are expected to meet for years to come. Their first AU summit in the building will take place on Sunday.

The AU chairman, Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, said the complex was “a reflection of the new Africa,” the agency reports. The new AU building dominates the skyline of Addis Ababa and is the city’s tallest building.


Most of the materials used were imported from China and even the furnishings were paid for by Beijing, AFP news agency reports.


Construction began in January 2009 and involved 1,200 Chinese and Ethiopian workers.

Trade between China and Africa has increased more than six-fold during the past decade to $120bn in 2011. China is interested in Africa’s natural resources and in return is investing huge sums in African infrastructure.


Roads are being built by Chinese firms at a staggering rate, says the BBC’s Will Ross in Addis Ababa.