Category: Governance

New revelations about how En (Aisha) Huang, Ghana’s so-called Queen of Galamsey (illegal small-scale gold mining), managed to make her way back to the country despite being deported are adding political heat to an already red-hot controversy. A member of parliament, Samuel ...

Ghana's worsening economic crisis is prompting concerns it will further erode the country's already weak environmental governance system that Chinese actors have profited from in the mining, fishing, and timber sectors. Meantime, local communities across the country suffer amid declining fish ...

A fascinating political struggle is playing out in Liberia over a controversial 25-year iron ore deal with Chinese company BAO Chico. Last week, the Senate ratified the deal in what critics contend was effectively a rubber stamp decision after only minimal discussion and no expert ...

World Bank President David Malpass pushed back against the suggestion that China engages in predatory lending to developing countries and instead described the lack of transparency in working with China as a "challenge." Malpass made the comments during an interview on Sunday with CBS Face the Nation ...

The Vice Minister of Mines in the DR Congo, Godard Motemona, declared that the appointment of three Chinese nationals to help supervise Chinese mining activities in the far eastern province of Ituri is "null and void." The ...

There's been mounting criticism of Chinese development projects in Africa by both political and civil society actors in response to rising debt levels, environmental degradation, and the maltreatment of local workers by Chinese managers. While many put the burden of responsibility ...

Chinese lending to developing countries has come under sharp focus since the release of several reports that have reshaped the debate. Unsurprisingly, many news reports, like the BBC’s “China: Big spender or loan shark” are ringing the alarm bells. However, I’d argue that the reports should rather prompt new ...

Government supporters published videos on social media this weekend to push back against the narrative that progress isn't being made as part of the $2 billion Sinohydro-bauxite deal.  Also, last month, the news site Graphic Online ...

The Sino-Congolese mining giant Sicomines is already trying to discredit a highly-anticipated report by the Congolese branch of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative even before the NGO's findings have been published. Radio France Internationale and other media ...

Kenyan fishers working aboard Chinese trawlers in the Indian Ocean report widespread mistreatment and abuse by their Chinese managers, even threats of being pushed overboard, according to a story published in today's Nation newspaper. In addition to the ...

China is increasingly turning to Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to pursue its geopolitical agenda and promote alternate norms of global governance, according to a new report published on Wednesday by the London-based Overseas Development Institute. The report by Chris ...

While DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi has said that he wants to review foreign (mostly Chinese) mining contracts to ensure they're more equitable, he hasn't provided any specific explanation for why he's choosing to do so now. There are many theories ...