Category: Africa
Burkina Faso: A New Chinese “Prince” Emerges Close to Junta Leader
As Burkina Faso’s military government reshapes its alliances in the face of a growing jihadist threat, a little-known but influential Chinese businessman has quietly risen to the center of the country’s war economy: Li Yubao. Operating in Burkina Faso ...
China Eyes Strategic Role in Kenya’s Port Privatization Plans
As Kenya revives plans to privatize the management of its key ports in Mombasa and Lamu through public-private partnerships, China is quietly positioning itself for a larger role in the country’s maritime infrastructure. The China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), ...
Ghana Bans Foreigners From Local Gold Trading in Major Overhaul
Ghana on Monday announced it was banning all foreigners from trading in its local gold market as part of sweeping reforms aimed at boosting foreign exchange reserves and stabilising the local currency. The ban takes effect on May 1 and grants ...
What Trump’s Trade Policy Means for Africa, China, and the Future of Global Trade
When U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House, he wasted no time reviving his hardline trade stance. Among the 200 executive orders issued on his first day was the America First Trade Policy Memorandum, aimed at rebalancing global trade through sweeping import tariffs. ...
China’s Strategic Pursuit of Nuclear Energy Dominance in Africa
By Innocent Batsani-Ncube China is strategically positioning itself to exert significant influence over Africa’s nuclear energy sector in the coming decades. Presently, Russia and France dominate this emerging industry, with the United States playing a lesser role; however, China’s calculated initiatives ...
Power Plays: China’s Changing Energy Financing in Africa
By Wu Tianyi Over the past two decades, Chinese financing in Africa has boomed and waned and undergone cycles of change. Initially dominated by lending from state-owned policy banks for large infrastructure and energy projects, notably in coal and hydropower, the ...
In China’s Wake, India Tries a Cleaner, Fairer Mineral Path in Africa
In January, the Indian government published a new critical minerals strategy that details how the country aims to bolster supply chains necessary for its green energy transition. While the report underscores the importance of developing domestic supplies of lithium and other ...
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) on the Chopping Block: Can China Save It Again?
General Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), is set to make his appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee this week in the annual appropriations ritual. Normally, these are rather mundane affairs, where Generals ask lawmakers for more money. ...
Chinese Sailors Missing off Ghana in Suspected Pirate Attack
Three Chinese nationals are missing after their vessel came under a "suspected pirate attack" off the coast of Ghana, authorities said over the weekend. The apparent kidnapping is the latest in the Gulf of Guinea, an area off the Atlantic coast ...
Trump Returns, But His Africa Policy Remains a Question Mark
The cherry blossoms are beginning to bloom in Washington, D.C., but inside the Beltway, there’s little sign of renewal—only a thick fog of uncertainty. After a brief return to D.C., I found a city still reeling from the shock of the Trump administration’s return to power and ...
Cars May be Last to Electrify in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania
More than three-quarters of all EVs in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania combined are two and three-wheelers, meaning there are less than five thousand four-wheelers across the three countries. While e-bikes, tricycles, and buses have set the pace in terms of ease ...
Solar Taxi Solving Adoption Challenges in Ghana as Chinese EVs Gain Popularity
Ghana’s Solar Taxi was launched as a pilot project in 2019, initially operating a solar-powered taxi service, importing vehicles and components from China. Today, it has grown into Ghana’s leading e-mobility company and ranks as the third-largest electric vehicle assembler in ...