Brexit Is an Opportunity for Africa, and South Sudan in Particular
By Mark Francis, Canada
July 25, 2016 (SSB) — The mainline western media, generally left wing, has been preoccupied with a small portion of those Britons who voted Brexit, seeking to condemn all Brexit voters with charges of racism by using code words.
In actual fact, most of those who voted Brexit did so on solid philosophical grounds, and a key point was that under EU subjugation, Britain could not seek out trade deals with, for example, Canada, India or African nations.
The game was stacked against Britain, which was running a $100 billion trade deficit with the rest of Europe. Worse, Britain’s future was instead bound tightly to a manically politically correct flotilla bent on heading for the rocks.
Having freed itself from a potential disaster, now Britain is hearing even the IMF change its tune – the IMF, having uttered dire warnings against Brexit, now says that Britain’s ability to have better trade arrangements means that it should outperform the rest of the EU.
Britain has been soliciting trade interest with other countries, they are responding positively, and the diversity shows it was not racism that drove “Brexit”: India (this could be huge), Canada, Japan, China, and even the US (so much for the Whitehouse threat that Britain would “go to the back of the line”).
Britain is a productive country but does import manufactured goods and is a fertile land, but does import food. India and Africa have great potential to benefit from trade relationships.
African leaders should not let the Western left wing and media shape their view of Brexit. People who feel unjustly charged with racism tend to walk away. Instead, African leaders should hail Brexit as a democratic result, freeing the British from the dead hand of an unaccountable EU, and ask to be part of the new trade discussions.
Britain and the British may be less than perfect, as we all are, but is truly willing to engage.
Now that French farmers will not have the benefit of a tariff wall and subsidies from the EU to shut out non-EU competitors from the British market, South Sudan should in particular ask Britain for the right to export food, and ask Britain for some help in meeting any required standards.
South Sudan has great potential to move from food importer to food exporter. A foothold in the British market could be the boost that helps South Sudanese farmers and agribusiness achieve outstanding results.
The opinion expressed here is solely the view of the writer. The veracity of any claim made are the responsibility of the author, not PaanLuel Wël: South Sudanese Bloggers (SSB) website. If you want to submit an opinion article or news analysis, please email it to paanluel2011@gmail.com. SSB do reserve the right to edit material before publication. Please include your full name, email address, city and the country you are writing.
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