The attraction of significant players in the Egyptian private economic sector such as the Arab Contractors and Engineering Consultants Group, both of which have now opened offices in Liberia. Others include the visit of the Egyptian Culture Troupe whose performances entertained Liberians and further solidified the cultural ties between the two countries.

China has outmaneuvered everybody else in the strategic calculations with respect to cultivating relationships with Africa. In the recently concluded fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) on China-Africa strategic partnership, President Hu Jintao pledged a US$20 billion of credit line for African countries in the next three years—double the amount of what China promised to lend Africa at the last joint forum three years ago.

At a time when most Western broadcasting and newspaper companies are retrenching, China’s state-run news media giants are rapidly expanding in Africa and across the developing world. They are hoping to bolster China’s image and influence around the globe, particularly in regions rich in the natural resources needed to fuel China’s powerhouse industries and help feed its immense population.

The 24th country I visited as part of my cultural diplomacy tour was South Africa, where I gave lectures for six days from July 30 at the University of Pretoria's Gordon Institute of Business Science in Johannesburg. It was my first lecture on the African continent.

WASHINGTON – The use of mobile telephones and the Internet have soared in Nigeria in the past few years, with clear implications for BBG and VOA activity in West Africa.

These were the major findings of a survey released here this morning by the Broadcasting Board of Governors and Gallup organization.

WASHINGTON – The use of mobile telephones and the Internet have soared in Nigeria in the past few years, with clear implications for BBG and VOA activity in West Africa. These were the major findings of a survey released here this morning by the Broadcasting Board of Governors and Gallup organization.

Notably, respondents to the survey tended to fault the U.S. most often for its foreign policy, in which a “hard power” approach is often emphasized. Dr. Margaret C. Lee, professor of African and Afro-American Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, suggests that the U.S. could begin to reform its image in Africa and elsewhere by emphasizing soft power that achieves results for Africans.