The challenges of being an emerging donor: Brazil’s South-South cooperation with Ghana

This paper assesses the features of the emerging donors in Africa and the challenges they face. The case study explores how Brazil positioned itself as a development partner in Africa by focusing on Ghana, a country often described as a “donor darling”. Based on qualitative research on the bilateral relationship since the turn of century, the study describes a range of difficulties Brazil encounters in the competition with other aid providers. Faced with the financial advantages of both China and Western donors, Brazil established its cooperation within the niche of agricultural programmes. However, the normative and technical stance of this approach was unable to bridge divergent expectations and Brazil ultimately refocused its Africa engagement to its competitive advantage in Portuguese-speaking Africa.

Key words: Brazil, Africa, Ghana, South-South cooperation, development assistance

>> The full text articles of this issue are available only in Spanish language

https://doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2016.114.3.157