French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte ambitions to conquer the world were cut short in the Belgian town of Waterloo thereby bringing an end to his domination.

Africa today seems to be emulating the Belgian town as the world economic war is waged in all corners. The US and Europe reacted too late to the Chinese "invasion” it could only manage a feeble complaint while the Chinese were busy digging in.

The other BRICS states were not far behind as they began spreading out in all corners of the continent that is slowly becoming the economic Eldorado. US Secretary of State John Kerry admitted on the sidelines of the 50th anniversary of the African Union that the US  had not prioritised investments in Africa saying matters were about to change.

The ongoing Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad V) should also be a subject of worry to the West, because the East’s approach of seeking partnership with Africa as opposed to the domination that was the hallmark of the West’s engagement with the continent.

But the recent economic storm many developed countries have been sailing through will not make competition with the likes of China who have loose change to sink into projects in Africa, which is bound to provoke a few envious looks.

Africa doesn’t need to be a battleground of rich countries trying to show off their economic power, it needs true partnership because the future is Africa’s.