In a thoroughly researched piece, Brautigam, Tang, and Xia offer a preliminary analysis of the nature of Chinese manufacturing investments in Africa, focusing predominantly on four countries -- Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania. Drawing on fieldwork conducted between 2014 and 2016, they...

An influx of Chinese and other Asian investment in Southeast Africa over the last decade has had a significant impact on the cotton-textile value chain in the region. Increased investment has changed the structure of the region's cotton market, increased competition in local markets, introduced...

This paper by Tang Xiaoyang looks into China-Africa Cotton (CAC), one of the first Chinese cotton firms to enter the African market. The study analyzes China-Africa Cotton's operations in Zambia to investigate the impact on the technological development of the local cotton sector. As a new...

The uniqueness and diversity of socio-economic conditions in Africa call for a careful case-by-case examination to understand the real impacts of FDI on knowledge development. As such, this study aims to shed light on the knowledge transfer effects of Chinese investment in Africa's manufacturing...

In this set of publications (a working paper and a policy brief), Tang Xiaoyang offers a detailed analysis of the Ethiopian leather sector. Built from fieldwork conducted between 2011 and 2018, this research highlights the role of Chinese investments into the Ethiopian leather sector and offers...

In December 2018, rumors began circulating that Kenya had staked its valuable Mombasa Port as collateral for US$ 3.6 billion in Chinese loans for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). New research from CARI shows why the collateral rumor is wrong. A CARI team of scholars and practitioners of...

This policy brief provides an analysis of Chinese practice in financing large—over 50 megawatt (MW)—hydropower projects in Africa between 2000 and 2013. Hydropower energy has benefits as a renewable and local source of power, but there can be significant social and environmental risks. These...

In early December 2015, Chinese and African officials met in Johannesburg at the sixth Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) meeting. The 2015 FOCAC summit took place amid news reports of China's economic slowdown, and concerns over how Africa would be impacted. In this policy brief, Janet...

When, why, and how are Chinese banks really financing African development? This policy brief presents CARI researchers' analysis of Chinese loans in Africa, drawing from data collected and cleaned by CARI since 2007. Between 2000 and 2014, the Chinese government, banks and contractors extended...

As China is poised to become the world's largest creditor, concerns about debt sustainability have grown. Yet considerable confusion exists over what is likely to happen when a government runs into trouble repaying its Chinese loans. In this paper, the authors draw on CARI data to review the...