The Belt and Road Initiative and Africa’s regional infrastructure development: implications and lessons

Abstract

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is outward-looking, being part of China’s ‘Going Out Strategy’ while Africa’s current regional infrastructure programmes are primarily inward-looking as they seek to deepen the continent’s regional integration. This paper argues, drawing from international cooperation theory, that China and Africa can cooperate in implementing BRI despite the apparent conflict in their infrastructure connectivity aspirations. They can coordinate their policies for the purpose of mutual benefit through enhanced connectivity and trade between Africa and China on the one hand and deepened African regional integration and intra-African trade on the other. This could be achieved by using Africa’s regional programmes as building blocks for cooperation in BRI. This paper also highlights lessons from BRI that Africa could use to fast-track implementation of its own initiatives including the mobilisation of stakeholders by political leaders, creation of dedicated institutions and funds, and building of local capacity in the infrastructure sector.

Keywords:

• Belt and Road Initiative
• Africa
• regional infrastructure
• transport
• programmes
• China
• cooperation

Acknowledgements

The Author expresses his gratitude to Professor Garth Le Pere of the University of Pretoria for his insightful suggestions and comments on the first draft of this article, which helped in further enriching it. However, all the views expressed here are those of the author and do not in any way represent the position of the ECA. The author wrote this article in memory of his father, George Ngomba Lisinge (Duke of Bonalyonga), who would have enjoyed having a good discussion on BRI and Africa's infrastructure development.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest is reported by the author.

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Robert Tama Lisinge

Robert Tama Lisinge is the Chief of the Energy, Infrastructure and Services Section of the Private Sector Development and Finance Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Division focuses on crowding-in private sector investment in African countries, particularly in the areas of infrastructure and agriculture. He holds a BSc degree in Civil Engineering and an MSc degree in Transportation Engineering. He also holds an MPhil and a degree of Doctor of Business Administration from the Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands. Prior to his current position, he was the Chief of the Operational Quality Section of the Strategic Planning and Operational Quality Division of ECA. He has over 15 years of experience in undertaking research and advising African countries and organisations on infrastructure policy as well as transport and trade facilitation issues. He delivers courses on transport infrastructure development at the African Institute for Economic Development and Planning in Dakar, Senegal.