Nigeria still seems fixated on the Global North as the wind blows in the opposite direction. The largest foreign investors in Nigeria – the UK, the Netherlands, France and the US – have not changed style since the 1950s. Their investments are mainly elitist, essentially in oil and gas, and ammunition, and portfolio investments, which mainly profit them, not Nigeria. Over time, not much has changed, and little has been done to invest in areas that improve the everyday life…

China has taught the world that democracy is not one-dimensional and it can take various forms. Election is a common and important feature of the Western democracy, but it is characterised by weak governance due to short-term planning and lack of people-centred political stances. However, not all Western democracies have the same type of governance system: different countries adopt different models.  China’s Constitution states that all power of the state belongs to the people. The National People’s Congress (NPC) and…

In the view of Vertu Ikombo Otoka, life in the Republic of the Congo has transformed greatly since the completion of the No.1 National Highway. Born in Brazzaville, the country’s capital, he has witnessed firsthand the significant impact of this highway on the nation’s economic development, particularly in the rural regions it connects.   “When I was young, it was hard to imagine there would be a road linking Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire, the country’s financial centre, due to the complex geographical…

Climate change is a challenge faced by the entire world. Like any other part of the world, China and Africa are both victims of climate change, with Africa feeling even greater pain due to its relatively poor infrastructure and a predominantly agricultural economy.  Africa is one of the regions in the world that are hit hardest by climate change. It has experienced widespread land desertification, frequent extreme weather events and a fragile ecological environment in the recent years. The continent’s…

Access to electricity remains a major challenge in many parts of Africa. In remote villages, people still rely on candles or paraffin lamps for light after dark. Even in large cities that are connected to the grid, power cuts are common.  Fortunately, Africa has a wealth of renewable energy resources, especially solar energy. Areas such as the south Sahara, where there is plenty of sunshine, offer immense potential for green power generation, particularly well suited to photovoltaic energy.  In recent…

The 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) is to be held from 11 to 22 November in Baku, Azerbaijan. The main goal of the conference is for countries to agree on a new climate finance target through which wealthy countries will pay to help poorer and climate-vulnerable nations to cope with climate change. On this occasion, ChinAfrica talked to Chukwumerije Okereke, director of the Centre for Climate Change and Development at the Alex-Ekwueme Federal University…

The China International Import Expo (CIIE) is an important platform for Africa to showcase its products and enhance trade with China, said a South African expert. “China has an important and attractive market, and the CIIE is incredibly big and diverse. It’s a wonderful opportunity for African businesses to tap into the Chinese market and understand what’s happening in the global market,” said Philip Myburgh, group head of trade at Standard Bank Business and Commercial Banking, in an interview with…

The South African branch of Bank of China, in partnership with the School of Economics and Finance of the University of the Witwatersrand, launched the Chinese Investors’ Confidence Index for South Africa in 2023. A first of its kind, the index reports on South Africa’s economic and investment environment based on the views and experiences of Chinese investors in South Africa. It is ambitious in that it analyses “changes in objective economic indicators” and tries to “uncover underlying causes and…

The recently held 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing under the theme Joining Hands to Advance Modernisation and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future unequivocally demonstrated that FOCAC remains the most important flagship collaborative platform between China and Africa and continues to deliver wide-ranging, tangible economic and social results.  The summit unanimously adopted the Beijing Declaration on Jointly Building an All-Weather China-Africa Community with a Shared Future for the New Era and…

It has been my privilege to witness a huge transformation and pivot as well as an enormous development of China from a close distance during my years living in China. I will say that if ever there was a time when African countries needed to be modernised, it is now.   Themed Joining Hands to Advance Modernisation and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future, the goal of the 2024 Summit on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Beijing is…