ADDIS ABABA – China has been intensifying investment in African continent and pledged to support the continent without imposing its will TRT reported.
As to the report China has kicked off 2022 by reaffirming its relationship with Africa the foreign minister is continuing what’s become a diplomatic tradition since 1991 by making his first trip of the year abroad to the African continent.
Foreign Minister of the country Wangyi has been visiting Eritrea, Kenya and Komoros in this week to strength diplomatic ties with the countries.
China has pumped billions of dollars into the continent in recent years and while mega projects funded by Beijing are often officially welcomed some fear the dangers of China’s outsized influence and the creation of massive debt but in November during the forum on China Africa cooperation China pledged to support Africa without imposing its will.
The most prominent projects in the continent are, in Tanzania the 10 billion USD Bagamoyo Port was built in cooperation with a state-owned Chinese company ,in Kenya, Mombasa-Nairobi Railway was funded by China which estimated to cost of USD 3.6 billion and in Nigeria, the Lagos- Ibadan railway project which costs 1.6 billion USD has been funded by the China civil engineering company.
Likewise, in Angola China signed a deal for the construction of the kaculo Cabaka Hydro plant which costs 4.5 billion dollars and in Ethiopia China has funded 4.5 Billion USD for the construction of the Addis Ababa- Djibouti Railway.
Policy Analyst at Development Reimagined Ovigwe Eguegu said that China has been a very big investor in Ethiopia and it has essentially picked Ethiopia as a pilot for manufacturing though Ethiopia is landlocked country and it needs access to the sea to able to trade with a trader coming into it.
As to him, Ethiopia needs to build more connectivity to allow it exports to access through Masawa and other ports in Eritrea but the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia is very problematic to build these connectivity.
He stressed that the connectivity between Ethiopia and Eritrea is very helpful for the development of the two countries.
BY TAMERU REGASA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 6 JANUARY 2022
