Chinese Infrastructure Projects in Africa Leave No Role for Local Urban Planners

 The Conversation published on 30 March 2026 a commentary titled "China Is Helping Build Africa's Cities, but Its Approach Sidelines Local Urban Planners and Residents" by Ding Fei, Cornell University.

Chinese-financed infrastructure projects are transforming skylines and daily life across Africa.  While China delivers an impressive volume of infrastructure, it risks reinforcing Africa's national government dominance in decision-making on urban infrastructure development.  African local governments and residents are excluded from the project planning and negotiating process.  

Ten African Security Trends in 2025

 The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published in December 2025 an infographic titled "Ten African Security Trends from 2025 in Graphics."

The paper covers the following issues:

--Sudan Fragmentation Strains Region

--Militant Islamist Group Momentum

--Impunity and Abuses of Power

--China and Russia Expand Foothold

--Growing Gulf Actor Competition

--Escalated Fighting in the DRC

--Regional Instability Impacts Nigeria

--Evolving Warfare Technology

--Urbanization and Youth Protests

--Progress toward Agenda 2063

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.  

Land At the Center of Somali Conflict

 The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies published in December 2023 a report titled "Somalia: Land Governance Review" by Surer Qassim Mohamed, Cambridge University.  

Land is a central point of contention in Somalia's fragmented political landscape and remains a significant driver of contemporary conflict.  Somalia's land governance architecture is a patchwork of unclear and overlapping authorities, overlapping claims to land use, large-scale land grabbing, and unclear land tenure.

This report aims to provide an overview of the current state of land governance in Somalia, examining the historical context, hybrid legal framework, and current practices around land ownership, access, and control.  

China's Cultural Presence in Africa

 The Institut fur Auslandsbeziehungen published in 2023 a lengthy study titled "China's Institutionalised Cultural Presence in Africa: Cultural Investments, Perceptions and Implications for China-Africa Cultural Relations" by Avril Joffe.

The author conducted interviews with 31 artists, cultural professionals, academics, government officials, media houses, and non-governmental organizations in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia.

The study's findings highlight the complexity of Chinese engagement in Africa and the various facets of its associated impacts.  The author suggests that African  actors should ensure that a more equitable engagement develops, where conditions are determined by local needs and culture, and more aggressively advocate for equality, needs, and respect for national sovereignty.  The presence of China in Africa is largely driven by China rather than African governments.  

Internal Displacement in Somalia

 Refugees International published on 25 May 2023 a study titled "No Going Back: The New Urban Face of Internal Displacement in Somalia" by Abdullahi Halakhe and Sarah Miller.

Somalia has an estimated 4 millon internally displaced persons and one of the highest urbanization rates in Africa.  The report explains the drivers behind displacement in the country. 

Impact of Urbanization in Somalia

 The Rift Valley Institute published in 2022 a study titled "Commodified Cities: Urbanization and Public Goods in Somalia" by Tobias Hagmann et al.  

Somali cities are fragile but continue to be attractive places to live, work, trade, get an education, and socialize for many Somalis.  Urbanization is transforming Somali society in multiple and profound ways.  

Causes of Drought in Somali Regions of Horn of Africa

 The Rift Valley Institute published 3 separate accounts for the causes of drought in Somali regions of the Horn of Africa.

One is dated 1 April 2022 and titled "Drought in Ethiopia's Somali Region and Cross-border Strategies for Survival" by Musafe M. Abdi.

The second is dated 24 March 2022 and titled "Bay and Bakool: How Somalia's Breadbasket Turned into an Epicenter of Humanitarian Crisis" by Abdirahman Edle.  

The third is dated 22 March 2022 and titled "What Are the Causes of Somaliland's Drought Crisis?" by Ahmed M. Musa.

Impact of Putin's War on Africa

 Nigeria's The Guardian published on 17 May 2022 a press release titled "The Russia-Ukraine Conflict and Its Impact on the Infrastructure and Built Environment Industry in Africa" by the African Media Agency.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has had significant negative impacts on the price and availability of key commodities in Africa.  The war has also opened some opportunities for African countries that can export gas to Europe such as Algeria, Nigeria, and Egypt.  

Ethiopia: Integrating Infrastructure Projects and Urban Space

 The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) posted on 18 August 2020 an interview by Judd Devermont, CSIS, with Biruk Terrefe, PhD candidate at Oxford, titled "Toward Urban Spaces: Learning from Ethiopia's Recent Transport and City Beautification Initiatives."

Large top down infrastructure projects such as the Addis Ababa light rail system built by China often fail to integrate the project appropriately into urban spaces.  

Impact of COVID-19 on Ethiopia's Urban Poor

Ethiopia Insight posted on 4 May 2020 a story titled "Amid Lockdown Fears, COVID-19 Threatens Ethiopia's Urban Poor" by Yared Tsegaye, an Ethiopia Insight reporter based in Addis Ababa.

Urban unemployment in Ethiopia was 19 percent before COVID-19. The author reports that the impact of COVID-19 on the urban poor will be especially devastating.

Why China's Development Model Won't Work in Africa

Forbes published on 31 October 2019 a commentary titled "Why China's Development Model Won't Work in Africa" by Wade Shepard.

The author argues that China's development model is unique. In China, large infrastructure projects can be planned in a top-down manner; in Africa such planning generally isn't possible given the sheer number and complexity of the stakeholders involved. While there is considerable truth to this argument, it does not necessarily apply everywhere in Africa.

Fixing US Diplomacy in Africa

World Politics Review published on 17 July 2019 a commentary titled "How to Fix America's Absentee Diplomacy in Africa" by Howard W. French, a career foreign correspondent.

The author suggests that the United States should pay more attention to Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, two of Africa's largest states that will determine the destiny of much of Africa. He also recommends a freezing of ties with African leaders who ignore term limits or otherwise remain in power for an excessive period of time.

Hargeisa, Somaliland Rises from the Ashes

The Brenthurst Foundation published in March 2019 a study titled "Hargeisa, Somaliland - Invisible City" by David Kilcullen, University of New South Wales.

Mostly destroyed by civil war during the 1980s, Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, has made a dramatic recovery. The paper investigates the successes and challenges of Hargeisa in the areas of social and economic development, critical infrastructure and services, security and international relations, and suggests areas where other African cities could learn from Hargeisa's experience.

Ethiopia: Addis Ababa Is a Federal District and Not an Oromo City

Ethiopia Insight posted on 10 February 2019 a commentary titled "Let's End Finfinnee Saga, and Shoot for the Stars" by Olaana Abbaaxiiqi, a pen name for a lawyer who lives in the United States.

The author explains that according to the Ethiopian constitution, Addis Ababa is a federal district and not an Oromo city as many Oromo believe, in part because it is surrounded by ethnic Oromos. Rather than claim Addis Ababa as the capital of Oromia, the author suggests the leaders of Oromia build a new planned city as the capital of Oromia in order to get beyond disagreements over the status of Addis Ababa.

Sub-Saharan Africa and Democratization Through 2022

The National Intelligence Council published in February 2018 an analysis titled "Sub-Saharan Africa: Pitched Contests for Democratization Through 2022."

The analysis concludes that standing in contrast to what academics have noted as a global drift toward authoritarianism, democracy remains a potent ideal in Africa. This tug of war between leaders and their constituents will become more intense through 2022, as stagnating economies, urbanization, and access to technology upset many longstanding balances of power. The resulting volatility will pose challenges and create opportunities for the international community as it pursues its strategic interests in this rapidly changing landscape.

How US Companies Can Compete with China in Africa

The Atlantic Council in Washington released on 7 September 2017 two issue briefs concerning possibilities for doing business in Africa, especially in light of significant Chinese competition. The first paper is titled "Escaping China's Shadow: Finding America's Competitive Edge in Africa" by Aubrey Hruby, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Africa Center. The paper identifies the following five sectors as good prospects for American business: professional and business services; financial services; media, entertainment and information; agribusiness; and renewable energy.

A companion paper, which focuses on the nature of African consumers, is titled "Capturing the African Consumer Market: Truths, Trends, and Strategies for the Road Ahead" by Aleksandra W. Gadzala, a geopolitical risk consultant.

African Key Trends to 2035

The Institute for Security Studies published in August 2017 a policy brief titled "African Futures: Key Trends to 2035" by Julia Bello-Schunemann, Jakkie Cilliers, Zachary Donnenfeld, Ciara Aucoin, and Alex Porter.

The brief looks at demography, economies, governance, development, conflict, technology, and urbanization. Except for issues associated with demography, the paper is stronger on summarizing trends up to the present than looking out to 2035.

Kenya and Decent Jobs

The African Research Institute published on 30 June 2017 a study titled "Kenya Is Failing to Create Decent Jobs" by Kwame Owino, Noah Wamalwa, and Ivory Ndekei.

The number of middle-income earners in Kenya is small and not expanding any faster than GDP growth. This has important implications for Kenya's economic and social development.

Mombasa: A City of Fragile Potential

The Brenthurst Foundation published in 2017 a study titled "Mombasa: A City of Fragile Potential" by Wanjiku Mungai and Saul Musker, both fellows at the Brenthurst Foundation.

The authors conclude that Mombasa faces a range of imposing challenges such as an infrastructure system that is insufficient to meet the demands of a growing population, an unskilled and uneducated workforce and high levels of youth unemployment, the threat of local extremist groups, drug-related violence, and ever-present social tension. While Mombasa's challenges are profound, they are not insurmountable and the city has the potential to drive Kenya's economic growth.