US Needs To Create Capital Markets in Africa to Compete with China

Foreign Policy published on 31 January 2019 a commentary titled "American Markets Can Beat Chinese Money in Africa" by Eliot Pence, Anduril Industries.

The author argues that if the Trump administration is serious about addressing Chinese competition in Africa, it needs to promote the American way of doing business: competitively, transparently, and efficiently. This can be done by developing capital markets in Africa that will provide ways for U.S. investors to participate in the continent's growth.

While the idea is a good one, it does not explain adequately how you get there. With a few exceptions, American companies have not been enthusiastic about investing in Africa. It is essential to change this mindset before there will be a significant increase in investment in Africa.

Analysis of China-Africa Development Fund

The Centre for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University published in July 2013 a brief analysis titled "The China-Africa Development Fund (CADFund) as a Sovereign Wealth Fund for Africa's Development?" by Sven Grimm.

The policy brief elaborates on the setting and policy of CADFund, specifically in comparison to Norfund, Norway's sovereign wealth fund for investments in developing countries, which also has a development vocation.  While operating according to market principles, CADFund is an economic and diplomatic tool of the Chinese government to encourage Chinese enterprises' investments in African countries.