In the first half of 2025, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) committed over US $124 billion to 176 new global projects — surpassing all of 2024. **
Africa alone received ~US $39 billion, accounting for more than 30% of that total— a clear signal that the continent is becoming central to the BRI’s global design.
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These investments are targeting foundational sectors: energy (especially renewables), digital infrastructure, logistics, and critical minerals — with the intention to help industrialize Africa and integrate it deeper into global supply chains.
Projects range from solar farms across the Sahel, digital corridors in East Africa, to new ports along the Atlantic coast — all aiming to shift Africa from the periphery to a node of global flows.
But capital and infrastructure alone aren’t enough. Without local ownership, value addition, transparency, and inclusive governance, much of the benefit could flow outward rather than uplifting local economies.
The key question isn’t whether Africa will benefit from this wave — it’s whether the continent can own its place in shaping it.