Social Impact of Chinese Mining Operations in Africa

The German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) published in October 2017 a paper titled "At Africa's Expense? Disaggregating the Social Impact of Chinese Mining Operations" by Tim Wegenast, Georg Struver, Juliane Giesen, and Mario Krauser, all of whom are affiliated with GIGA and/or the University of Konstanz.


The paper examines whether Chinese-controlled mining promotes anti-Chinese sentiments among the local populations of sub-Saharan African countries. It concludes that the effect of Chinese mining companies on African local development is ambiguous. While proximity to Chinese-operated mines is associated with anti-Chinese sentiments and unemployment, populations living close to Chinese mining areas enjoy better infrastructure such as paved roads or piped water.