Paris, France - Sudan-born business mogul, Mohammed Ibrahim, Monday described as an exaggeration, assertions that Chinese companies are engaged in large-scale corruption in Africa and that the Asian State was behaving like a predator on the continent for raw materials. 'China is neither an obstacle to transparency in Africa, nor a criminal state. Europeans have nothing to teach the Chinese in this matter,'  the businessman, popularly known as Mo Ibrahim, told a group of journalists in Paris, France. He criticized the Europeans for exaggerating the alleged corruption of African firms to cover their own depravity and their refusal to be transparent.

'We hear Europeans saying they cannot engage in logic of transparency in Africa because their Chinese competitors are not doing it. This is an unacceptable argument,' said Mo Ibrahim, who made his fortune in the cellular telephone business.

The businessman pleaded for absolute transparency in relations between foreign companies, especially those operating in the mining sector and African countries.

'Establishing contracts in transparency in the mining, oil and other extractive industries is not only a moral issue; it is also the best way to ensure a healthy environment for business. So, it is in everybody’s interest to ensure transparency, 'argued Mo Ibrahim.

Taking the example of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), he argued that transparency would benefit both the people and business operators themselves.

'For every mine operated, we want to know how much actually goes into the public treasury, how much goes to the presidency, what about other amounts?' he wondered, urging political leaders to shed light over this management.

He also called on leaders of major companies operating in Africa not to only stick to the professions of faith in transparency but to go beyond.

According to him, 'it is not about sticking solely to proclamations of transparency, we want action and behavior. And in this respect, Chinese companies in Africa have no lessons to receive from Europe.'

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation supports numerous initiatives of civil society for transparency and good economic governance in Africa.

The foundation attended the last international conference on EITI held 2-3 March in Paris.

Pana 15/03/2011