China's Zero Tariff Policy for Africa: An Opportunity Not a Guarantee

 B & FT Online posted on 29 April 2026 an article titled "Africa-China 2.0 with Paul Frimpong: Zero Tariff, Zero Excuses: Africa's Moment with China Has Arrived."

China's much heralded zero tariff policy for 20 more African countries, raising the total to 53 out of 54 countries on the continent, is an opportunity but will not guarantee significantly more African exports to China.  African countries must develop new trade strategies to take advantage of the opportunity and meet remaining Chinese quality and safety standards.   

Ethiopia Says It Attracted $13 Billion in Mostly Chinese Investment

Ethiopia's Institute of Foreign Affairs posted on 30 March 2026 an article titled "Ethiopia's Investment Surge and the Strategic Repositioning of Addis Ababa as Africa's Diplomatic-Economic Nexus" by Kena Seyife.  

The "Invest in Ethiopia 2026 Forum" attracted over 800 investors from more than 50 countries and secured over $13 billion in investment commitments.  China's Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Ltd. committed to invest $10 billion in green ammonia and electrical equipment.  The article cautions that Ethiopia's success will depend on its ability to translate investments into tangible economic transformation. 

Comment: Ethiopia is facing several internal security challenges that must be addressed before this kind of investment actually materializes.  It will be important to monitor how many of these commitments valued at $13 billion result in completed projects.    

Chinese Agricultural Cooperation in Sub-Saharan Africa

Perspective published in February 2014 an article titled "Chinese Agricultural Cooperation in Sub-Saharan Africa" by Jean-Jacques Gabas, a researcher at Agricultural Research for Development, and Xiaoyang Tang, an economist at Tsinghua University in  Beijing. 

The article deals with the mythology surrounding land grabs in Africa, Chinese aid and Chinese investment.  China is an important source of assistance to the agricultural sector. 

The article is available in French as "Cooperation Agricole Chinoise en Afrique Subsaharienne."