The China-Africa Research Initiative (CARI) at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) published in August 2018 a study titled "What Kinds of Chinese 'Geese' Are Flying To Africa? Evidence from Chinese Manufacturing Firms" by Deborah Brautigam, SAIS, Tang Xiaoyang, Tsinghua University, and Xia Ying, S.J.D. candidate at Harvard Law School.
The paper provides an analysis of the nature of Chinese manufacturing investments in Africa, focusing on Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania. It explores the varieties of existing Chinese manufacturing investment and the sectors into which Chinese companies are investing. Chinese manufacturing investment in Africa is expanding rapidly but the official data on investment approvals significantly overstate the actual number of investments in operation.
CARI published a policy brief on the same subject.