Ghanaian Professor Calls for Reassessment of Africa's Relations with China

 The Ghana News Agency posted on 18 February 2026 an article titled "Africa-China Relations Need Critical Review--Prof. Amoah" by Edward Acquah.

Prominent associate professor of political science at the University of Ghana, Lloyd George Adu Amoah, recently gave a key public lecture on China-Africa relations.  Amoah, who has a doctorate from Wuhan University in China, called for a critical reassessment of the relationship. He described current China-Africa relations as "heavy on form and very light on substance."

Amoah identified three phases of China-Africa relations with the last one beginning about 2011 when China became the world's second largest economy.  This phase has been marked by China's "obsession with the maintenance of its new superpower status."  He warned that trade with China may lock Africa into a source for commodities and result in diminished manufacturing opportunities.  

Amoah added Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows constitute less than 5 percent of its global FDI stock and they are concentrated in resource rich countries and sectors such as mining and construction.

Nigeria Seeks to Maximize Benefits of Relations with US and China

 Nigeria's P.M. News published on 16 September 2025 an article titled "Beyond Dependency: US-China Trade Rivalry as Opportunity for Nigeria" by Emmanuel Yashim.  

Drawing on a thoughtful discussion of US and China relations with key countries in Latin America, the article emphasizes that the question for Nigeria is not which partner, the United States or China, to embrace but how to manage both relationships so they serve Nigeria's national development.  The article warns of the dangers of excessive debt and suggests that Nigeria's large trade deficit with China is unsustainable.  

China's Role in African Debt

 South Africa's Institute for Security Studies published on 1 November 2023 a policy brief titled "Africa's Debt Dilemma: China's Role and Implications for Development" by Jana De Kluiver.  

China is not the primary cause of African debt distress, but does raise concerns due to lack of transparency, clauses impacting local industries, and the absence of collective restructuring options in Chinese loan contracts.  

China's Increasing Focus on Food Security in Africa

 Agricultural & Food Policy published in October 2023 an article titled "China's 'Hunan Model' for Realising China-Africa Food Security" by Lauren A. Johnston.  

The paper explores the role of the Chinese province of Hunan in Xi Jinping's most recent plan to modernize African agriculture.  Food security has become an increasingly important part of the China-Africa relationship.  

Effectiveness of China's Loans to Africa

 Peking University published in October 2023 a report titled "A Study on the Effectiveness of China's Sovereign Financing in Africa."

From 2000 to 2020, China provided $160 billion in loans for 1116 projects in 49 African countries.  Based on a study of select projects from this list, Peking University concluded that China's loans have a generally positive impact on the economic growth of African nations, and improve the livelihood of the African people.  The loans have had a significant impact on education and improved the hard infrastructure of education facilities and the literacy rate.  The study also shows that loans generate a positive impact on manufacturing job creation, infrastructure development, and globalization.  However, the results indicate a negative impact on agricultural  job creation, which could be explained as the result of moving people from agriculture to industries.

The authors noted that the study was limited by the reliability of the data and discrepancy in the accuracy, time dimension, and the statistical caliber of loan data collected among institutions.

China Focuses on Food Production and Industry in Africa; Whither Infrastructure?

 The South China Morning Post published on 8 October 2023 an article titled "Why China's Boost for Focus on Farm Produce Will Not Blur Outlook for Infrastructure Push" by Jevans Nyabiage.  

While China moves to increase support for African agriculture and industry, the article's subtitle suggests this does not signal a shift away from infrastructure building but rather the launch of a parallel track.

Comment:  Yet over the past several years there has been a sharp drop in the availability of Chinese loans for infrastructure development in Africa and there is no indication that these loans will increase anytime soon.  

Working Conditions in an Ethiopian Industrial Park

 Foreign Policy published on 24 September 2022 and article titled "The Dark Side of Ethiopia's Export Boom" by Sophie Cousins.

The article describes working conditions for women at Ethiopia's Chinese-built Hawassa Industrial Park.  Not everything is positive.

Chinese Business Practices in the DRC Cobalt Industry

 The Leiden Asia Centre published in October 2021 a major study titled "Chinese Approaches to Overseas Responsible Business: Insights from the DRC Cobalt Industry" by Stacey Links, Tycho de Feijter, and Jonas Lammertink.

Part I of the report discusses the features of Chinese approaches to responsible business, predominantly defined in China as corporate social responsibility.  Part II investigates how the findings of Part I unfold in practice by analyzing Chinese responsible business approaches in the cobalt mining sector of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  

Relations between Ethiopian State and Private Chinese Firms

 The United Nations University published in July 2021 a working paper titled "The Dynamics of State-Business Relations between the Ethiopian State and Chinese Private Firms: A Case Study of the Eastern Industry Park" by Weiwei Chen.  

The paper argues that institutions led by Chinese government agencies serve only limited purposes and are led by the interests of certain kinds of firms, and that private firms tend to locally improvise and create their own bargaining mechanisms, even when the Chinese state has built official channels for bargaining.  They do not fit a simple "win-win" narrative.

Chinese Contractors in Africa

 The China-Africa Research Initiative published in May 2021 a study titled "Chinese International Contractors in Africa: Structure and Agency" by Hong Zhang.

The paper unpacks the role of Chinese international construction and engineering contractors in Africa.  It concludes that China's strategic goal has been to internationalize China's industrial capacity.  

Economic Recovery in Sudan

Chatham House published in October 2019 a report titled "Sudan Stakeholder Dialogues: Options for Economic Stabilization, Recovery and Inclusive Growth" by Ahmed Soliman.

The paper draws together the key themes and findings from three roundtables, ranging from broad structural issues to sector-specific priority interventions. It presents options and recommendations for Sudanese leaders, including the transitional government, in support of building a more economically prosperous, peaceful and inclusive nation.

Pseudo Special Economic Zones along the Silk Road (in French)

Thierry Pairault posted on 1 August 2018 a working paper titled "De pseudo-ZES le long des nouvelles routes de la soie: les zones de cooperation economique et commerciale a l'etranger."

A number of studies have concluded that Special Economic Zones (SEZs) inspired by China are the solution to Africa's development. This study asks if the model of Overseas Economic and Trade Cooperation Zones (OETCZ) that China proposes for countries along the Silk Road corresponds well with existing SEZs. The paper raises doubts.

China-Africa Statistics and the Tillerson Visit to Africa

The China-Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies recently posted updated background papers on China-Africa relations intended to complement the visit to Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Chad and Nigeria by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The first paper is titled "The United States and China in Africa: What Does [sic] the Data Say? 2016 Updates." The second is "China in East Africa and the Horn: Ports, Trains and Industrial Zones." The third is "China in West and Central Africa: Railways and Refineries."

Foresight Africa: Priorities for 2018

The Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings has just released a major report titled "Foresight Africa: Top Priorities for the Continent in 2018".

It contains the following chapters:

--Unleashing Africa's Inner Strengths: Institutions, Policies and Champions.
--Sustainable Financing for Economic Development: Mobilizing Africa's Resources.
--Broadening the Benefits of Growth: No One Left Behind.
--Rethinking Africa's Structural Transformation: The Rise of New Industries.
--Harnessing Africa's Digital Potential: New Tools for a New Age.
--Reassessing Africa's Global Partnerships: Approaches for Engaging the New World Order.

China-Rwanda Relations

China's Global Times interviewed Rwanda's ambassador to China on 3 May 2017 following President Paul Kagame's March visit to Beijing.

The ambassador acknowledged the similarities between the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front and the Communist Party of China. He suggested the Chinese development model is more appropriate for Africa than the Western model because Western aid comes with political strings and Chinese aid does not.

Chinese Investors in Ethiopia

Two think tanks, Moroccan-based OCP Policy Center, and French-based IFRI, published in March 2017 a study titled "Chinese Investors in Ethiopia: The Perfect Match?" by Francoise Nicolas, director of IFRI's Center for Asian Studies.

The author concluded the impact of Chinese investment in Ethiopia is mixed. Although China has played a useful role by setting up industrial zones, financing infrastructure, and encouraging Chinese firms to move some manufacturing production to Ethiopia, its transformative power remains limited. Skill transfer has been disappointing and local labor inputs do not always reach the standard expected by the Chinese companies.

China, Zambia and Resource Nationalism

The East Asia Forum published on 31 March 2017 an analysis titled "China and Zambia's Resource Nationalism" by Celine Wang, Public Policy Centre in Kazakhstan.

The author argues that the failure of Zambia's industrial development to deliver greater benefits for the Zambian people has resulted in resource nationalism and anti-Chinese sentiments.

Djibouti's Free Trade Zone (French and English)

The Oxford Business Group published on 13 March 2017 an article titled "Djibouti Moves to Galvanise Trade Development." Djibouti's new $540 million port is being developed by China Merchants Holding and the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority. The free trade zone is expected to be fully operational by 2018.

Ethiopia: Foreign Investors Concerned

The Washington Post published on 2 November 2016 an article titled "Investors Shy Away from Ethiopia in the Wake of Violent Protests" by Paul Schemm.

The article concludes that Ethiopia's industrialization program is at risk of faltering--along with its impressive economic trajectory--as current investors reconsider options and new ones shy away.

See the posting below dated 29 October on the same subject.

China and Japan Compete in Africa

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) published on 31 August 2016 a commentary titled "China and Japan: Walking in Each Other's Footsteps" by Peter Fabricius, ISS consultant.

Following China's FOCAC meeting in South Africa last December, Japan held its TICAD summit with African leaders in Kenya in August. The author concludes that Japan has fallen behind China in the new scramble for Africa. Japan is playing catch-up and has moved its TICAD summits from a five-year to a three-year cycle, following China's example. All of this competition is, however, good for Africa.