中文
By Dennis Munene
Lead: China's investment in Africa, from railways to zero-tariff trade, has helped stabilize the continent's economic development at a time of growing global uncertainty.
The current landscape of economic globalization is characterized by the resurgence of protectionist and isolationist politics, the fragmentation of trade systems, and global governance deficits. These anti-globalization trends have created uncertainty in international markets and raised concerns regarding the sustainability and inclusiveness of globalization.
Within these changing global dynamics, China has emerged as a strategic advocate for a more open and interconnected multilateral system. Through policies that promote market openness, South-South cooperation, sustainable infrastructure development, and reforms in global economic governance, China has provided much-needed global economic stability. This is reflected in China’s provision of international cooperation platforms and public goods such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), alongside a suite of China-proposed global initiatives on development, security, civilization, governance and its regional peace efforts in the Horn of Africa.
These initiatives have enhanced cooperation in infrastructure, trade, people-to-people exchanges, industrialization, human capital development, peace and security, and regional connectivity for countries in the Global South, especially those in Africa. They also align with and complement the objectives and mission of the African Union's Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Yet Africa, a major part in the Global South, continues to face rapid population growth and urbanization, creating critical infrastructure deficits that threaten the continent's stability and growth. According to the African Development Bank, Africa's population is projected to reach approximately 2.4 billion by 2050, up from around 1.5 billion today. By mid-century, Africa will account for one-quarter of the world's population and will possess the world's youngest workforce, with approximately 62% of its population falling within the economically productive age bracket of 15 to 64. Longer-term projections indicate Africa's population could reach nearly 4 billion by 2100.
While this population growth presents opportunities for economic expansion, urbanization and industrialization, it also places immense pressure on existing infrastructure, employment, education systems, health care services and governance institutions. Addressing these challenges requires sustained investment in transport networks, energy systems, industrial facilities, water and food security, and human capital development.
China-Africa cooperation, which marks its 70th anniversary this year, has increasingly contributed to addressing the continent's pressing development challenges. Through FOCAC and related initiatives, China and African countries have promoted cooperation based on shared and mutual development.
According to a report by China's State Council Information Office, between 2000 and 2020 China assisted African countries in constructing nearly 100,000 kilometers of highways, more than 13,000 kilometers of railways, approximately 1,000 bridges, nearly 100 ports and more than 80 large-scale power facilities. China also supported the construction of more than 130 medical facilities, 45 sports venues and over 170 schools, while training more than 160,000 professionals and creating more than 4.5 million jobs across the continent.
These investments continue to expand. During the 2024 FOCAC Summit in Beijing, China announced plans to support an additional 30 infrastructure connectivity projects across Africa between 2025 and 2027. Such projects are expected to enhance transport efficiency, facilitate trade, strengthen regional integration and support economic diversification.
Several flagship projects, such as the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, have helped significantly improve Ethiopia's access to maritime trade routes through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, reducing transportation costs and transit times for the landlocked economy. Similarly, the Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya, which forms part of the broader East African Railway Master Plan, will connect Kenya with Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Such connectivity enhances regional trade and promotes economic integration across East Africa.
These projects, among others, support the broader objective of Pan-Africanism by facilitating the movement of goods, services and people across borders. Improved connectivity reduces logistical constraints, strengthens regional value chains and creates opportunities for industrial development and cross-border commerce.
At the same time, trade remains a stabilizing force by fostering resilience and interdependence among nations. Beyond infrastructure financing, China has increasingly sought to ease and recalibrate the structural trade imbalance that has existed between itself and African nations for decades. The extension of zero-tariff treatment to 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China marks a historic milestone, forging deeper economic ties between the two sides. This policy provides African exports with preferential access to a consumer market of more than 1.4 billion people. Chinese consumers, meanwhile, will increasingly enjoy African products, further enhancing China's food security.
China's zero-tariff policy could help revitalize industrialization, unlock agricultural potential and modernize agro-processing. With the zero-tariff arrangement in place, Africa is likely to attract more Chinese investment and expand its mining sector, which for decades has been a global supplier of critical minerals such as copper, cobalt and lithium, helping drive growth in local manufacturing. The tariff-free arrangement will also improve livelihoods, create jobs, stabilize employment, boost incomes and enhance public welfare.
While China-Africa cooperation has delivered tangible developmental gains, there are also some practical constraints stemming from Africa’s diversified national conditions: inconsistent domestic regulatory frameworks, fiscal constraints of host countries, and cross-border coordination barriers. Some projects progress slower than scheduled amid local administrative and social conditions, and transforming Africa’s long-standing export structure may be a medium-to-long term task that cannot be accomplished by tariff incentives alone.
For African countries such as Kenya, the BRI has enabled the nation to emerge as a major infrastructure and logistics hub within East Africa. Chinese-supported projects have contributed to improvements in transportation, energy, water infrastructure, logistics and urban development.
Among the most notable projects is the Nairobi Expressway, a 27.1-kilometer highway developed under a public-private partnership framework. The project has improved urban mobility, reduced travel times and enhanced efficiency within Nairobi's transport system. Other major projects include the Standard Gauge Railway, the Lamu Port development, the Naivasha Inland Container Depot, among others.
These projects have contributed to addressing infrastructure bottlenecks that historically constrained Kenya's economic growth. The Standard Gauge Railway serves as a key pillar of Kenya's broader economic transformation strategy. Beyond its rail transportation function, the railway — currently running from Mombasa to Naivasha, with a planned extension to Malaba — has stimulated the emergence of economic corridors and logistics hubs along its route. Areas such as Voi, Konza, Athi River, Naivasha, Narok, Bomet, Sotik, Nyamira, Kisumu, Malaba, Trans Nzoia, Sagana, Nanyuki and Uasin Gishu are increasingly positioned as centers for trade, logistics, manufacturing and investment.
These economic corridors are supported by complementary road networks and rehabilitated meter-gauge railway systems, including the Nairobi-Nanyuki railway line. Together, they facilitate the movement of goods and services while attracting industrial investment and promoting regional economic development.
The Mau Summit Road project, financed through a public-private partnership led by the China Road and Bridge Corporation and Kenya's National Social Security Fund, will further strengthen this connectivity framework. As a critical section of the Northern Corridor transport network, the road will ease movement between Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu and neighboring countries in East Africa. Reduced travel times, enhanced road safety and increased freight efficiency will contribute to regional trade competitiveness and strengthen Kenya's position as a logistical gateway for the wider East African region.
Importantly, these projects extend beyond physical infrastructure. They contribute to employment creation, skills development, technology transfer and institutional capacity building. Such outcomes enhance human capital development and support Kenya's broader industrialization and economic modernization agenda.
Beyond landmark projects in Ethiopia and Kenya, China-backed port and energy schemes in Nigeria and Mozambique also accelerate regional connectivity in West and Southern Africa, echoing Agenda 2063’s regional integration goals.
While some economies have rolled out Africa cooperation frameworks, such as the EU’s Economic Partnership Agreements and the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act, these initiatives tend to focus more on trade liberalization with strict eligibility clauses. Distinct from these models, China-Africa cooperation centers on infrastructure empowerment and industrial capacity building based on equal consultation, which constitutes its unique value for inclusive globalization among South-South partnerships.
In conclusion, Sino-African cooperation plays a significant role in promoting the five principles of peaceful coexistence in an era marked by increasing global uncertainty. China's provision of global public goods positions the country as a vital stabilizing force for a more inclusive form of economic globalization in Africa. Rooted in equality and mutual benefit, China-Africa cooperation offers a pragmatic, development-oriented alternative for inclusive globalization. Though constrained by practical challenges, the people-centered and infrastructure-driven model provides replicable experience for South-South cooperation amid a fragmented global economy.
Dr. Dennis Munene is the executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute.
