This book critically examines Africa’s engagements with Asian countries in the 21st century within the context of an emerging multi-polar world. It explores how African nations are diversifying their economic, diplomatic, cultural, and strategic partnerships by engaging with emerging Asian economies and ECDC countries (Economically Developing Countries). The volume analyzes the distinct approaches adopted by key Asian actors, China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and West Asian countries under the Global South framework, and Japan and South Korea following the OECD model (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). It highlights how these evolving partnerships have diluted Africa’s traditional dependencies on former global powers. It offers a detailed analysis of initiatives such as India’s calibrated economic diplomacy through the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) under the African Union’s Banjul Formula, and China’s multi-billion-dollar engagements through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Through a combination of bilateral, multilateral, and sectoral case studies, this volume presents a comprehensive and comparative perspective on Africa’s contemporary engagements with key Asian countries.
