Are Environmental Concerns Holding Back China's Dam Building in Africa?

 China Dialogue published on 7 April 2021 an analysis titled "Is China Edging Away from a Massive Dam on the River Niger?" by Fred Pearce.

The government of Guinea announced more than three years ago that the Fomi dam project was ready to begin construction, built by China and funded by China's Export-Import Bank.  Since then, ground operations have ceased and there has been political silence.  A number of environmental concerns have surfaced that appear to be giving China pause.  

Chinese Dam Construction in Africa

Xiao Han's 329 page PhD thesis at the University of Melbourne dated March 2018 and titled "Money, Markets and Hydropower: Chinese Dam Construction in Africa" is available on-line.

The thesis aims to clarify the formation of goals, practices and consequences of Chinese outward investment through the lens of the Chinese government's and corporations' engagement in African dam construction. The thesis applies a technopolitical approach to disentangling the historical, technical, political, social and environmental complexity associated with dams and proceeds with a life cycle analysis of a specific project in Africa: the Bui Dam in Ghana.

Quote in Newsweek on Egypt's Irrigation

I am quoted in the September 28, 2009, issue of Newsweek on page 12 in a brief article titled "Egypt Parches Africa," or "Egypt Controls Most of Nile's Water" in the online, September 22 issue. The quote is:

"Egyptian officials work 'behind closed doors' to block funding for upstream projects, according to David Shinn, a former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia."

This reference was in the context of Egyptian concern over large, new, upstream irrigation projects and not hydropower dams. Large irrigation projects divert water permanently from reaching Egypt. Hydropower dams only hold back water on a one-time basis. Once the lake behind the dam is full, the water flows again.