China's role in African infrastructure and capital
projects
In Africa, large infrastructure gaps remain an obstacle to
growth, investment and economic diversification. In 2018,
Deloitte's annual Africa Construction Trends report, that
tracks construction projects worth more than US$50 mn, noted that
African governments fund the largest share of projects through
international development finance institutions. Over the past two
decades China has helped to meet some of Africa's
infrastructure financing needs and is now the single largest
investor, financing one in five projects and constructing one in
three.
This article tracks China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
in Africa, that is creating fresh waves of road, rail, port and
energy investment, making the continent more connected, internally
and with the outside world. Beyond financing and construction
support, the anticipated benefits of the BRI projects
include:
