In Africa, the Belt and Road Is Spurring General Socio-Economic Development

May 9, 2019 (EIRNS)—In his article “Africa and China’s Belt and Road Strategy,” published May 8 in the Nigerian daily The Sun, Charles Onunaiju, director of the Center for China Studies Utako, Abuja, wrote that the Belt and Road strategy of international cooperation

“already up and running and phenomenally redrawing the global development map with outlaying economic corridors and tremendous added value is also putting Africa in the front-line of emerging global economic hubs.”

Elaborating the contribution of the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa, Onunaiju argued that, “Since the action plan of the Belt and Road strategy was rolled out, key infrastructure projects have sprung up in Africa taking shape from its concessional funding support and inspirations of facility connectivity. In respect of overland construction, Chinese companies through concessional financial support have built the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway in Ethiopia, which is the first electrified railway in Africa, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway in Kenya, the Abuja-Kaduna Railway in Nigeria, Benguela railway in Angola, and many others, including Lagos-Ibadan-Kano-Abuja [railroad] under construction.

“With regards to the maritime component of Belt and Road Initiative, Africa features eminently in the key infrastructure projects. So far, Chinese companies have constructed the port of Bagamoyo in Tanzania, the No. 19 berth of the port of Mombasa and 3 berth of port Lamu, all in Kenya, the New port of Pointe-Noire in the Republic of Congo, or Congo Brazzaville, the Lekki Deep Seaport in Nigeria, the Kribi Deep seaport in Cameroon, and the port of Tamatave in Madagascar.

“Under the framework of the Belt and Road strategy of international cooperation, the port of Cherchell in Algeria has been built and is in operation, while the Port of Luanda in Angola is under construction. The distinct feature of each of these ports is that they either have access to major road connections or seat near the sites of industrial parks, thereby having significant impacts on economic development of the coastal areas of Africa.”