China's Alibaba Expands E-Commerce in Africa

 BusinessTech published on 10 November 2025 an article titled "Another Chinese Company Coming after Shein and Temu in South Africa" by Malcolm Libera.  

China's Alibaba has selected Durban, South Africa, as the hub for its Africa digital operations.  It is part of Alibaba's strategy to deepen its presence in African consumer markets.  

China, Tanzania, and the Digital Silk Road

 The South African Institute of International Affairs published in November 2021 a policy brief titled "China-powered ICT Infrastructure: Lessons from Tanzania and Cambodia" by Motolani Agbebi, Gong Xue, and Zheng Yu.  

The study looked at the socioeconomic and governance impacts of large Chinese ICT projects in Tanzania and Cambodia.  Compared to other infrastructure developments, these projects had relatively limited socioeconomic and governance outcomes.  

China, Ethiopia, and the Digital Silk Road

 Amsterdam University Press published in 2021 an open access book containing a chapter titled "Exploring the Political, Economic, and Social Implications of the Digital Silk Road into East Africa: The Case of Ethiopia" by Sanne van der Lugt, Leiden Asia Centre and Clingendael Institute.  Just agree to terms to access.

The chapter analyses the causal relations through which Ethiopian and Chinese actors interact in the context of China's Digital Silk Road initiative.  It identifies the actors involved and investigates their motives and levels of influence.  

Will Alibaba's Problems Impact China in Africa?

 Nikkei Asia published on 9 February 2021 an article titled "Clipping Jack Ma's Wings Will Undermine China's Africa Push" by Lauren Johnston.  

Chinese e-commerce billionaire Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, has taken a special interest in Africa but his empire faces regulatory problems in China.  The author argues that if Ma's regulatory issues are perceived as unwarranted state-intervention, it may harm trust in Alibaba products and services in Africa.  That, in turn, could harm the more important story of China's long-term interests in Africa.  

Ethiopia and Rwanda Are Hubs for Jack Ma's Electronic Global Platform

The blog for the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London posted on 2 July 2020 an article titled "COVID-19 Pushes Forward Jack Ma's Plans for a World Trade Revolution" by Lauren A. Johnston.

COVID-19 has encouraged Jack Ma, founder of China's e-commerce company Alibaba, to push forward with his electronic global platform.  In Africa, Ethiopia and Rwanda are hubs for this project. 

China Moves into African E-commerce Market

China Economic Review published on 23 January 2019 an article titled "China's Plans To Export Its E-commerce Culture to Africa" by Timothy Ang.

Chinese companies, including Alibaba, are taking Africa's small but potentially large E-commerce market seriously. The author concludes that E-commerce and services appear to be the next stage of China's strategy in Africa.

China Bans the Ivory Trade: Cyberspace Poses Challenge

News China magazine published on 1 February 2017 an article titled "A Dark World" by Wang Yan.

While the government of China recently banned the illegal ivory trade, the article points out it will be difficult to enforce the regulation. Illegal ivory traders have moved their business online to WeChat. Social media platforms such as Alibaba and Tencent have made serious efforts to ensure they are not being used to facilitate the illegal wildlife trade but there is no guarantee they can stop all trading activity.