Podcast on China's Relations with Africa

 New Books Network posted on 8 October 2025 a one hour and 43-minute podcast on "China's Relations with Africa: A New Era of Strategic Engagement."

Kanayo Anthony Nomeh, Florida International University, hosted the podcast with the authors of the book, Joshua Eisenman and me.  The podcast covers all aspects of the relationship between Africa and China, although the focus is on security and political issues.  

Chinese Premier Visits Egypt to Deepen Ties

 UAE-based The National published on 9 July 2025 an article titled "Chinese Premier Li Qiang Visits Egypt to Deepen Ties as US Relations Sour" by Kamal Tabikha.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is visiting Egypt on a visit to strengthen relations.  The article concludes that Egypt's growing frustration with Israel's polices in Gaza and its perception of US inaction have driven Cairo to recalibrate its foreign policy, resulting in Egypt prioritizing partnerships with China and BRICS nations to reduce reliance on Washington.

Chinese Loans to Africa Increase Modestly in 2023

 Boston University's Global Development Policy Center posted on 21 August 2024 an analysis titled "Relative Risk and the Rate of Return: Chinese Loans to Africa Database, 2000-2023."

China's total loans to Africa peaked in 2016 at $28 billion, fell to $1 billion annually in 2021 and 2022 before rising to almost $5 billion in 2023.  China's top five loan recipients between 2000 and 2023 were Angola, Ethiopia, Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya.  In 2023, China changed its approach to loans by providing half the total to African multilateral banks and nationally owned banks in Egypt.  It continued to prioritize its longtime borrowers: Angola, Egypt, and Nigeria.   

Can India Match China in Africa?

 The Aljazeera Centre for Studies, an independent research institution, published on 4 July 2023 a commentary titled "In Its Quest for More Engagement with the Continent, Can India Match China in Africa?" by Hakeem Alade Najimdeen, a Nigerian researcher.  

The author concluded that India is not yet able to challenge China's influence in Africa but given its geographic and cultural proximity to Africa, as well as the appeal of its cuisine and cinema, India's people-centered diplomacy may be a key advantage in the long run.  

Africa and the World Happiness Report 2019

The Sustainable Development Solutions Network published in March 2019 the 2019 edition of the "World Happiness Report" edited by John F. Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey D. Sachs. Factors considered in the rankings are GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perception of corruption.

The 2019 report ranked 156 countries, 45 in Africa. The best ranked African countries were Mauritius (57), Libya (72), Nigeria (85), Algeria (88), and Morocco (89). The poorest ranked African countries were South Sudan (156), Central African Republic (155), Tanzania (153), Rwanda (152), and Malawi (150). Some of the rankings are counter intuitive. Who would have thought Libya is the second best rated African country or that Tanzania and Rwanda are near the bottom. It is important, however, to consider the factors used to construct the index.