China shifts from Africa’s top megaproject lender to a debt collector

Since the mid‑2000s, China has established itself as Africa’s principal bilateral financier for large infrastructure projects, including railways, bridges, dams and ports. But as the loans involved reach maturity, Beijing has transitioned from a net provider of funds to a net collector. Drawing on data from Boston University’s Global Development Policy Centre and its own calculations, Oxford Economics Africa said in a new analysis that Chinese loan commitments dropped from a peak of US$28.8...