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Is China’s BRI Project yielding results in Africa?
Many people might have heard of China’s Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Project, collectively called the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), but paid little or no attention to it.
The Project was unveiled by the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, exactly 10 years ago, this year,2023.
It focuses on Asia, Europe and Africa to provide common economic prosperity for countries along the ancient Silk Road trade route, however, it is open to all countries to enjoy.
And, aims at improving connectivity and enhancing cooperation on trans- continental scale and has become a major development opportunity even for the entire world.
According to the “Governance of China” book, by President Xi Jinping,”China is having an accurate perspective of the trends in economic globalization and to support countries around the world in opening up wider while rejecting unilateralism and protectionism,…this is vital if we are to take humanity to a better future”.
Speaking on “Let China’s Openness Benefit the World”, at the opening ceremony of the fourth China International Import Expo on November 4, 2021, President Xi Jinping intoned, “China will promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation to provide development opportunities and deliver real benefits to more countries”.
And, true to that, over the past decade, the BRI has gained worldwide traction and garnered overwhelming support from the international community.
In Africa, the massive support for BRI cannot be over-emphasized as it is growing by leaps and bounds.
At a recent event on September 8, 2023, which marked a significant milestone in Sino-Africa cooperation, the Africa Union (AU) and the Chinese Mission to the AU pledged together to deepen cooperation under the BRI towards achieving common economic prosperity.
It is an open secret that Africa has been faced with challenges, such as hindrances to sustainable growth and development.
In Ghana, and other African countries, transport networks including roads and railways were built in colonial days to link mines, plantations and other key sites of exploitation which are connected to ports, with the ultimate aim to transport resources to faraway countries which are not benefiting the African people.
But, the introduction of BRI Project to the continent, is seeing the injection of new impetus into various industries, which appears to steer the African countries along a sustained path of economic transformation and resilience.
Undoubtedly, with the introduction of BRI, there has been a strengthened cooperation and promotion of hard and soft infrastructure development such as digital connectivity and people-to-people exchanges, among the lots, in Africa.
The BRI has become central to national actions to tackle challenges and structural deficiencies which are evident in key sectors in Africa including transport.
Gradually the BRI project is leaving its footprints on the African continent and it would be appropriate, for this article,
to cite Nigeria, which is Africa’s largest economy, where social and economic gains reaped under the BRI are vivid.
To mention, just a few, the China-built Lagos-Kano standard gauge project.
It is the first standard gauge railway in Nigeria and West Africa, which has significantly improved mobility.
There is also the Abuja-Kaduna railway which is the first segment of the project which commenced operation in 2016 and it is believed to have safely transported about 6 million passengers.
From January 2023, Nigeria began witnessing the completion and opening of major projects under the BRI, including the first phase of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue Line project and the Lekki deep-water port, the largest deep-water port constructed by China Harbour Engineering Company Limited.
Nigeria stands to rake in about US$360 billion from the project and can create about 170,000 jobs.
The example of Nigeria, sums up a message of President Xi Jinping in his “Governance of China Book”, during the opening ceremony of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, in Beijing on October 18, this year.
President Xi Jinping’s “Governance of China” Book states: “We in China will not lose our resolve to open wider at a high standard, we will not lose our determination to share development opportunities with the rest of the world, we will not lose our commitment to economic globalization that is more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all;
“Over these 10 years, we have endeavoured to build a global network of connectivity consisting of economic corridors, international transportation routes and information highway as well as railways, roads, airports, ports, pipelines and power grids…this network has boosted the flow of goods, capital, technologies and human resources among countries involved and injected fresh vitality into the millennia-old Silk Road in the new era”, it underscored.
The forum, under the theme, “High-Quality Belt and Road Cooperation: Together for Common Development and Prosperity”, brought together over 130 foreign media executives, senior editors and journalists from over 110 media outlets in 75 BRI partner countries.
BY KINGSLEY E.HOPE
The Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID) successfully held its sixth (6th) Exchange Programme, hosted by the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) Bank in Accra from March 22 to 23 March.
The event brought together member institutions, partner organisations and Ghanaian public entities to advance dialogue on South-South trade, investment and development finance, while also creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and institutional cooperation.
Organised as a capacity-building and networking platform, the 2026 edition of the G-NEXID Exchange focused on GEXIM’s experience in developing innovative solutions to promote intra-African and extra-African trade.
It also highlighted trade and investment opportunities in Ghana, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader national development initiatives.
The Exchange Programme forms part of G-NEXID’s mandate to foster cooperation among export-import banks and development finance institutions in support of South-South trade and investment.
This 6th edition follows earlier successful programmes hosted by India Exim Bank (2016), BNDES (2017), Indonesia Eximbank (2018), Afreximbank (2019) and Saudi EXIM Bank (2025).
On the first day, participants were presented with G-NEXID institutional information and received an update on the Network’s 2026 work programme.
There were a series of substantive presentations, including an overview of the Ghanaian economy by the Ministry of Finance, with particular attention to debt-related challenges; a presentation by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), on investment opportunities in the country; and institutional presentations by GEXIM and Development Bank Ghana (DBG) on their respective mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Discussions during the sessions underscored strong interest in sector-focused webinars and business dialogues, particularly in agribusiness value chains such as poultry and rice.
Participants also emphasized the importance of continued information exchange and the sharing of best practices, especially in the area of guarantees.
The second day opened with a presentation on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national economic transformation strategy launched by President John Dramani Mahama in July 2025.
The initiative aims to enhance economic productivity through continuous industrial activity, accelerated export development and strategic import substitution.
As the programme is expected to mobilise both private and development capital, it presents concrete opportunities for G-NEXID members in areas such as co-financing, guarantees, trade finance and technical cooperation.
The programme also featured institutional presentations by guest organisations, namely the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), which shared their mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Following these exchanges, the G-NEXID Secretariat held bilateral discussions with both institutions as part of the Network’s ongoing membership drive.
Participants further benefited from a presentation by the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB), as well as a showcase of GEXIM’s key pipeline projects.
On the margins of the Exchange Programme, G-NEXID members also held their 20th Annual General Assembly Meeting to review progress and discuss strategic priorities.
Following the event, participants joined the GEXIM@10 International Conference, held from March 24-25, 2026 under the theme, “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier.”
The conference provided an important platform for exploring how Ghana can strengthen its transition from a primary commodity exporter to a more competitive player in value-added trade and industrial development.
Source – G-NEXID
President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, signed five bills including three amendment bills passed by Parliament into law.
They are: Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025; University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Bill, 2025; Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Growth and Sustainability Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
In a brief remark after assenting to the bills, President Mahama explained that the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2026, scraps the Office of Minister of National Security and frees the President’s to appoint any Minister to supervise the security agencies.
He said it also reverses the name of the office of National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), to the original name, Bureau of National Intelligence, (BNI).
This the President said, addresses the confusion between that security agency and a well-known Ghanaian financial institution, the National Investment Bank.
President Mahama also noted that the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Act, 2026, establishes another University in the Eastern Region, at Bonsu, with three campuses – the main campus at Bonsu in the Eastern Region, with the second campus to be cited at Ohawu in the Oti Region.
The third, the Presdient assed will be located at Acherensua in the Ahafo Region.
Touching on the Amendment to the Growth and Sustainability Levy Act, the President said, “As you’re aware, the act was amended to increase it from 1% to 3%, and so this act reduces it again. That is the levy on mining companies. It reduces it again to 1%, because of the introduction of the sliding scale of royalties.”
He also spoke to the passage of the Government Education Regulatory Bodies Amendment Act, emphasising that amends Act 1023 to grant greater flexibility to private tertiary institutions and the option to Charter.
The Ghana Deposit Protection Amendment Act, the President concluded, is an amendment to an original act that was supposed to guarantee deposits held in commercial banks or financial institutions.
It basically expands protection to include mobile money wallets and other digital platforms, ensuring a wider scope of digital financial assets are secured.
The signing ceremony, was witnessed by the Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akrutinga Ayine, Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, a Senior Presidential Advisor and a Special Aide to the President, Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and the Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.
