A New State of Chinese Loans to Africa

Boston University Global Development Policy Center posted on 18 August 2023 an update to its data base titled "A New State of Lending: Chinese Loans to Africa."   

From 2000-2022, 39 Chinese landers provided 1,243 loans amounting to $170 billion to 49 African governments and 7 regional institutions.  However, China's lending peaked in 2016 ($28 billion) and has fallen dramatically sense, totaling only about $1 billion in 2022.  

China's Belt and Road Initiative in Africa Changing Direction

 The Monk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy published on 4 July 2023 a commentary titled "From a 'Project of the Century' to 'Small Is Beautiful': The Changing Face of the BRI in Africa" by Abdou Rahim Lema, University of Montreal.

The author argues that funding for China's Belt and Road Initiative projects in Africa has fallen significantly since 2016.  This does not mean the BRI is dead but rather is shifting to smaller and less costly projects.  China is also focusing on digital and green infrastructure rather than large-scale transportation projects.  

Chinese Loans to Africa 2000 to 2014

The China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University recently published working paper number 4 dated April 2016 titled "Eastern Promises: New Data on Chinese Loans in Africa, 2000 to 2014" by Deborah Brautigam and Jyhjong Hwang.

The paper provides an overview of a new data base on Chinese loans, the scale of the loans, their African recipients and the sectors where borrowers are investing. The study concludes that Chinese financiers loaned about $86 billion to African governments and state-owned enterprises between 2000 and 2014.