Ghana’s Finance Minister is the First High-Level African Official to Publicly Call on China for Debt Relief

Ghana’s Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta became the first senior-level African official to specifically call on China for help in relieving the spiraling African debt crisis. Until now, African leaders had issued general appeals to the “international community” for debt relief but never mentioned any individual creditors like China.

“My feeling is that China has to come on stronger,” said the finance minister who wore a protective mask against COVID-19 infection during a somewhat unusual-looking online video discussion with Masood Ahmed, the president of the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Center for Global Development. 

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.