Category: Development
China and the Dirty Secrets of ‘National Development’
The Financial Times today cited new work by scholars at Boston University on the global reduction of Chinese lending. The big story is that while Chinese lending rivaled that of the World Bank by the mid-2010s, it's now plummeting.
Africa’s Newest Chinese-Financed and Constructed Railway Begins Operating in Nigeria
The newest Chinese-built railway in Africa is now officially in service following a Tweet on Monday from the office of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari that launched the new Lagos to Ibadan line. The $1.59 billion standard gauge railway was
With Chinese Loans Coming Due, Ethio-Djibouti Railway Suffers Heavy Losses Due to Theft, Vandalism
The Chinese-financed and constructed Ethiopia-Djibouti standard gauge railway is bleeding money due to rampant theft and vandalism, according to a report in the Addis Standard newspaper. The situation is now so bad, say company officials, that the trains have been forced to reduce their speed ...
Alibaba Gives a Shot in the Arm to China’s Vaccine Distribution Plan for Africa
China's COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan in Africa is slowly starting to come into focus. Yesterday's news that Cainiao (菜鸟网络科技有限公司), the powerful logistics arm of e-commerce giant Alibaba, is teaming up with Ethiopian Airlines to build an international cold-chain network with hubs in ...
Although Largely Out of the Headlines, China’s Mask Diplomacy in Africa Continues Apace
The Chinese electric vehicle company BYD donated 16 million masks to medical workers in Africa as part of the Africa CDC's public awareness campaign #AfricaMaskWeek that ends today. Focus on China's PPE donations in Africa has dropped ...
Q&A: Improving Trilateral Development Cooperation Among China, African Governments and External Partners
By Jinyu Chen, Research Analyst at Development Reimagined Trilateral cooperation, a buzzword in the field of aid and development cooperation, refers to a “development relationship in which a DAC donor and/or multilateral agency ‘partners’ with a so-called ‘pivotal’ country (e.g. ...
Many Kenyans Surprised and Somewhat Perturbed That the Chinese Contractor Building the Nairobi Expressway is Going to Make a LOT of Money
The China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), a Chinese state-owned construction company, is forecast to earn almost a billion dollars in profits over the 27 years that it will operate the new Nairobi Expressway that's now under construction. Details of the ...
The Case For Kenya’s Embattled Chinese-Financed Standard Gauge Railway
Critics of Kenya's multi-billion-dollar Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) definitely have the upper hand these days as the railway sinks deeper into debt. But George Sunguh, managing editor of African Ports Review, argued today in Business Daily that the skeptics are wrong.
Africa’s Mosaic Approach
Afrobarometer is the gift that keeps on giving. Every few years the survey company tracks public opinion in African countries about external partners. The result is a growing and fascinating body of work that shows African public opinion about actors like China shifting in real-time. This time,
Passenger Traffic’s Up on Kenya’s New SGR But Will It Be Enough to Save the Embattled Railway?
Travelers are making their way back to Kenya's Standard Gauge Railways, especially the line between Nairobi and the port city of Mombasa, according to new data published by the Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC). 43,235 people took the Mombasa ...
Uganda Confident It Will Secure $2 Billion China Exim Bank Loan to Build New Standard Gauge Railway
The Ugandan government is reportedly in talks with the China Exim Bank to secure a $2 billion loan to build a new Standard Gauge Railway, according to the Daily Monitor newspaper. The head of Uganda Railways Corporation, Stanley ...
Construction Begins on New Chinese-Financed Vocational Campus in an Important Congolese Cobalt Mining City
The Chinese embassy in Kinshasa announced that construction will begin soon on a new vocational education campus in Kowlezi, the capital of the southern Lualaba province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The new 15,000 square ...