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.    

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.

Chinese Construction Company Under Fire in Nigeria

 Nigeria's Newstimes published on 8 February 2026 an article titled "FG Issues Deadlines to Chinese Road Contractors."

The government of Nigeria warned China Harbour Engineering Company and its sister firm, China Harbour Engineering and Maintenance Company, that it has received complaints of substandard work, slow mobilization, and environmental hazards on key road projects across the country.  The government called on the Chinese companies to take remedial measures, adding it would no longer tolerate poor execution, undue delays, or disregard for contractual standards.

Revival of the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa

 Australia's Griffith University and the Green Finance & Development Center in Shanghai published on 18 January 2026 "China Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Investment Report 2025" by Christoph Nedopil Wang.

Since the beginning of BRI in 2013, the report says Chinese construction projects (profit making opportunities by Chinese construction companies) totaled $837 billion globally while investment projects totaled $561 billion globally.  The figures are based on having an active memorandum of understanding with China at the time of the report.  Energy, mining, and transportation projects top the list.

In 2025, Africa accounted for a significant increase ($61.2 billion) in BRI engagement (construction projects and investment), but most of it was in construction projects (47 percent of global total) and not investment (22 percent of global total).  Nigeria alone accounted for $24.6 billion in construction projects and the Republic of the Congo for another $23.1 billion.  

Madagascar-China Relations

 The People's Map of Global China published on 25 November 2025 a paper titled "Madagascar" by Xuefei Shi, a development researcher based in Bergen, Norway.

This is a nice summary of the relationship between Madagascar and China.  It covers historical ties as well as the current relationship.  

Building Resilient Cities in Somalia

 The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies published in December 2025 a study titled "Building Resilient Cities: Environmental Protection and Construction Safety in Somalia's Urban Development" by Abdullahi Ali Mohamed.  

The study highlights how unregulated construction, environmental degradation and intensifying climate shocks are reinforcing urban fragility amid weak institutional capacity.  It outlines an integrated policy framework focused on sustainable urban planning, professionalizing the construction sector, and strengthening climate resilience.  

The Plusses and Minuses of Chinese Infrastructure Projects in Africa

 Polity published on 28 November 2025 a commentary titled "China's Infrastructure Partnerships in Africa Require Strategising Developmental Needs over Debt Risks and Security Vulnerabilities."

Chinese state banks and companies have financed numerous interest-bearing loans for African infrastructure projects.  While much African infrastructure has been developed in this way, dependence on Chinese suppliers and management poses potential risks for African nations, especially concerning control over port and telecommunication systems.

Chinese Stadium Diplomacy in Ethiopia: Cost Overruns and Delays

 The Diplomat published on 31 January 2025 a commentary titled "Chinese Stadium Diplomacy in Africa, Pt 2: Adey Ababa Stadium in Ethiopia" by Istvan Tarrosy and Zoltan Voros. 

The 62,000-seat capacity stadium in Addis Ababa has faced problems since its initiation in 2016.  Chinese State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) was supposed to finish the stadium in September 2022.  Cost overruns and currency devaluation caused disagreements that led to termination of the contract with CSCEC in February 2023.  Ethiopia signed a new contract with China Communications Construction Company.  Although the project has restarted, cost questions remain, and progress is slow.  

Podcast on China's FDI and Loans to Africa

 Deutsche Welle posted on 30 August 2024 a 13-minute podcast titled "Can China Regain Its Foothold in Africa?" with me and narrated by Clifford Coonan.

As the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation approaches in early September, Deutsche Welle asked for my comments on China's Belt and Road program in Africa and especially the current status of Chinese foreign direct investment and loans to the continent.   

Ethiopia to Build Biggest Airport in Africa

 Nanyang Technological University in Singapore published on 23 August 2024 an article titled "Ethiopia Awards Contract to Construct the Biggest Airport in Africa."

Ethiopian Airlines awarded a contract to a consortium led by Dar, a Middle East-based architecture and engineering consultancy, to develop what will become the largest airport in Africa located 40 kilometers from Addis Ababa.  The first phase will cost $6 billion and be operational in 2029.

Chinese Workers in Africa Reach New Low at Least Since 2009

 The China Africa Research Initiative at John Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies posted in March 2024 numbers on Chinese workers in Africa from 2009 through 2022.  

By the end of 2022, the number of Chinese workers in Africa hit a low since 2009 of 88,371.  This is down from a peak in 2015 of 263,696.  At the end of 2022, the top five countries with Chinese workers were the DRC, Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, and Angola.  These five countries accounted for 42 percent of Chinese workers in Africa.

These figures include Chinese workers sent to work on Chinese companies' construction contracts in Africa and Chinese workers hired for other labor services who are reported by Chinese contractors.  The numbers do NOT include informal migrants such as traders and shopkeepers.

Comment:  There are no reliable figures for the number of Chinese traders, shopkeepers, and temporary residents such as professional personnel and students in Africa.  But the figure for the number of workers in Africa significantly understates the total amount of Chinese residing in or visiting Africa at any given time.  The COVID-19 pandemic probably contributed to a large reduction in the number of Chinese residing in Africa and it is doubtful that they have subsequently returned.  

China Global Investment Tracker

 The American Enterprise Institute maintains the China Global Investment Tracker, a data set for Chinese investments and construction projects country-by-country from 2005 through 2023.  

Chinese Company Suspends Work on Kenyan Road for Lack of Payment

 Kenya's Business Daily published on 27 November  2023 an article titled "Chinese Firm Suspends Work on Kenol Road over Sh900m Delay" by Bonface Otieno.  

China's Jiangxi Transportation Engineering Group has suspended construction on a section of a road in Kenya following a delay in payment by the government of Kenya and the African Development Bank.  The road is part of a Pan-African artery connecting Cairo to Cape Town.  

Morocco-China Relations

 The ChinaMed Project published on 26 October 2023 a commentary titled "Morocco Looks at Its Relations with China: Between the Earthquake and the Diplomatic Celebrations" by Mariateresa Natuzzi and Lea Gebuhrer.

Morocco is actively seeking to strengthen its ties with China but recognizes the continued importance of the European market for its economy.  Since 2001, Chinese exports to Morocco have risen sharply while Moroccan exports to China have risen only modestly, resulting in huge trade deficits for Morocco.  

Chinese Environmental, Social, and Governance Practices in Africa

 The South African Institute of International Affairs published in August 2023 a study titled "Elevating ESG: Empirical Lessons on Environmental, Social and Governance Implementation of Chinese Projects in Africa" by Cecilia Springer, Keyi Tang, Christoph Nedopil, Chris Alden, and Cobus van Staden.  

The study assesses the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices of Chinese financed infrastructure projects in Egypt, Nigeria, and Ethiopia within the context of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.  It concludes that Chinese financiers and regulators should take steps to guarantee awareness of and compliance with ESG rules by small- and medium-sized Chinese companies operating in Africa.  

China's Belt and Road Engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa 1st half of 2023

 The Fudan University-based Green Finance & Development Center published on 1 August 2023 a report titled "China Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Investment Report 2023 H1" by Christoph Nedopil Wang.  

During the first half of 2023, major growth areas of Chinese engagement were Namibia, Eritrea, and Tanzania, making Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) the fastest growing area for global  BRI engagement.  SSA accounted for 39 percent of global Chinese BRI construction engagement in the first half of 2023.  

China in the Maghreb

 The Madrid-based Elcano Royal Institute published on 30 June 2023 an analysis titled "China in the Maghreb: Engagement, Perceptions and Prospects" by Tin Hinane El Kadi, London School of Economics and Political Science.    

Since the beginning of this century China has significantly increased its economic and political engagement in the Maghreb, although there are unequal trade patterns and investment remains minimal.  Nevertheless, China provides an opportunity for the Maghreb to expand and modernize its domestic infrastructure, while reducing its reliance on the West.  

Decentralizing Afro-Chinese Relations (in French, English and Spanish)

 The most recent edition of Revue Internationale des Etudes du Developpement is devoted to the topic "Relations afro-chinoises: decentrer l'analyse."

 The articles in this special issue offer a decentering of the approach to Afro-Chinese relations through an analysis of Africans taking an active role in order to assess to what extent the Chinese presence has responded or not to African requests, and how African actors have responded.  

The articles deal with China's role in Ghana's free zones, the role of executives in Chinese construction subsidiaries in Algeria, Chinese medical teams in Cameroon, the promotion of kung fu in Cameroon and Gabon, and testimonials of French-speaking African students in Chengdu.  

Chinese Companies in Angola and Ethiopia Pay Wages Comparable to Other Firms

 Quartz published on 19 April 2023 an article titled "A Surprising Finding about How Chinese Companies Pay in Africa" by Cassie Werber.

Chinese companies have earned a reputation for paying local workers badly in comparison to other companies.  A recent academic study found the reputation is undeserved.  The study suirveyed workers in manufacturing and construction at Chinese-owned and other foreign owned firms in Angola and Ethiopia, as well as at locally owned businesses.  There is no clear evidence that Chinese firms consistently pay less than comparator firms in the same country.

Chinese-financed ECOWAS Headquarters on Schedule

 The News Agency of Nigeria published on 14 April 2023 an article titled "ECOWAS Reassures of  Completion of New Building by 2025."

The Economic Community of West African States asserted that its new headquarters building in Abuja will be completed by February 2025.  China financed the building and a Chinese company is the contractor.