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China’s Not Getting Its Money Back from Africa Any Time Soon, So Why Not Take the Lead in Debt Relief?

by Eric Olander

As economic conditions worsen across the continent, it’s becoming increasingly evident that African governments will not be able to service the tens of billions of dollars in debt they’ve taken on over the past decade.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and a number of his counterparts have called on the international community to enact an immediate debt relief program for the continent. But other than some supportive statements from the likes of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, Africa’s major creditors haven’t said much in response to those appeals.

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