AidData, a research lab at William and Mary University, published in August 2022 a study titled "Why Hide? Africa's Unreported Debt to China" by Kathleen Brown, Leiden University.
The author argues that governments intentionally hide debts from international financial institutions to maximize their ability to borrow while avoiding punishment for rising debt burdens. Half of Chinese loans in Sub-Saharan Africa are missing from sovereign debt records. Borrowing African governments use hidden debt as a strategic tool to pursue fiscal goals.
