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BRI @ 10: Lessons From Cambodia About Chinese Investment

China's Belt and Road Initiative marked its 10th anniversary this month, prompting a lot of discussion about what's next for Beijing's controversial development agenda. While BRI spending in Africa and the Americas has plummeted in recent years that is not the ...

Indonesian Middle Schooler In Hot Water With Local Authorities For Fighting Against Chinese Wood Pellet Exporter

“The road only has a capacity of five tons, but the Jambi mayor Syarif Fasha allowed up to 20 tons , exceeding and violating the regional regulation concerning road transportation,” a young girl eloquently spoke to the camera. The girl continued: “They worked together – the Chinese ...

German Construction Companies Struggle to Find a Way to Compete Against Chinese Rivals in Africa

European leaders have made it very clear in recent weeks that they intend to compete vigorously against Chinese rivals for a larger slice of the African infrastructure construction market. While that may sound nice, in practice it's going to be difficult. ...

The New Chinese-built Nairobi Expressway is Not Yet Done and Already It’s Transformed the Landscape of the Capital

The new Chinese-built Nairobi Expressway is just a few short weeks away from opening to the public but already the highway has transformed the landscape of the Kenyan capital. The $646 million, 27.1-kilometer toll road slices ...

With China on the Sidelines, What’s Next for African Infrastructure Financing?

For much of the past two decades, China was among the largest sources of African infrastructure financing. But that is no longer the case. In his recent keynote address at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation conference in Senegal, Chinese President Xi ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Plugging into African Agency

After several years of declining funding, the African end of the Belt and Road Initiative seems to be roaring back. The newest Griffith University/Green Development Finance Center data on the Belt and Road Initiative shows that engagement with Africa jumped by 395%, while a few big projects boosted engagement in Nigeria alone more than twelvefold.
These shifts indicate a window of opportunity for African electrification. 60% of Africans still ...

Letter From Nairobi: Chinese Contractors Have Turned the Kenyan Capital Into a Giant Construction Site

Large swathes of the Kenyan capital Nairobi currently feel like one big construction site on account of the ongoing construction of the 27 kilometer Nairobi Expressway that's being built by two of China's largest state-owned construction giants, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and Sinohydro. 

Why One of the Boldest Experiments in Chinese Infrastructure Financing in Africa May Only Benefit Wealthy Motorists

There's growing excitement in the Kenyan capital that congestion-weary motorists will finally get some relief, now that the 27-kilometer Nairobi Expressway is nearing completion. Years of construction have further snarled the city's already miserable traffic but that's expected to improve once the China Road and Bridge Corporation ...

Kenya’s Transport Minister Tours Almost-Finished Chinese-Built Nairobi Expressway, Promises Traffic Relief by Christmas

Kenya's Transportation Cabinet Secretary James Macharia led journalists on a tour of the nearly-completed Nairobi Expressway, one day after a small section of the road opened to motorists for the first time. Macharia said ...

With New Chinese Money Hard to Come By, Kenya’s Treasury Turns to the Bond Market to Finance Infrastructure

The Kenyan government is making preparations to float its largest-ever bond offering, a record $1.3 billion (Sh150 billion) issuance. It will be used to settle debts with contractors, possibly including some Chinese companies, and to fund road projects that are currently in development.

Nairobi Commuters Will Finally Get Some Relief When First Section of New Chinese-Financed Expressway Opens This Weekend

The Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) finally said the words that every Nairobi motorist has been waiting to hear: the expressway is open! OK, so it's just the first section of the 27-kilometer roadway but even that will provide some badly-needed relief ...

Uganda’s Parliament Considering New Law to Bolster Local Construction Companies Against Chinese Competition

The Ugandan parliament is considering a bill proposed by infrastructure minister Katumba Wamala that would provide sanctuary to local construction companies when bidding for smaller road contracts. Although China was not mentioned in the proposed legislation specifically, it's widely ...

While Sinohydro’s Road Work Maybe Progressing Slowly in Ghana, Government Supporters Insist Progress is Being Made

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 ...
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