After a two-to-three-year hiatus following the pandemic, Chinese money is once again flowing into the African energy sector. Billions of dollars in new investment and construction contracts for power facilities were registered in the first half of the year, particularly in Nigeria, according to new data from Griffiths University in Australia and the Green Finance and Development Center in Beijing.
These new contracts and investments will bolster China’s already formidable presence in the continent’s energy market, where Chinese-backed projects account for approximately 23 GW of installed generation capacity across at least 27 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa – nearly 20 percent of the region’s total.
Naa Adjekai Adjei, CGSP’s non-resident fellow for Africa, is examining the operational aspects of Chinese-backed power projects in Africa for a new bi-weekly series that encompasses everything from project pitching to financing and construction. Adjekai joins Eric & Cobus to explain why China’s role in African energy development remains poorly understood despite its sizable presence.
Show Notes:
- The China-Global South Project: Motives That Matter: The Economic and Strategic Logic Behind China’s Power Sector Engagement in Africa by Naa Adjekai Adjei
- The China-Global South Project: Inside China’s Power Play: Understanding the Institutions Behind Africa’s Energy Projects by Naa Adjekai Adjei
- The Conversation: How to negotiate infrastructure deals with China: four things African governments need to get right by Folashadé Soulé
About Naa Adjekai Adjei:
Adjekai Adjei is CGSP’s non-resident fellow for Africa. She holds a doctorate from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, where her research focused on Chinese investment in power generation infrastructure across sub-Saharan Africa—examining both pricing and investment outcomes, as well as the underlying factors that shape them. An admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa, Adjekai specializes in corporate and commercial law, with experience spanning energy law litigation, banking and finance transactions, contract negotiation, and corporate advisory work. She previously practiced at two of South Africa’s top five commercial law firms.
