“At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President William Ruto of the Republic of Kenya will pay a state visit to China from April 22 to 26,” confirmed a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson on Thursday, signalling the importance Beijing attaches to this engagement. This sentiment was summarised by the former president of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, in 2008: “China’s approach to our needs is simply better adapted than the slow and sometimes patronising post-colonial approach of European investors, donor organisations and non-governmental organisations … China has helped African nations build infrastructure projects in record time.” As an urban economist with a focus on financing public infrastructure and services, I am interested, as part of my research comparing Africa’s and China’s urbanisation experiences, in understanding why Africa has not benefited from Chinese investments and how to change this trend,” wrote Haas in The Conversation article.
Author: Brian Ngugi
Published at: 2025-04-19 21:07:39
Still want to read the full version? Full article
