China’s Partnership with West Africa and Its Implications for Economic Sovereignty
https://doi.org/10.54012/jssh.v1i2.723
Abstract views: 64
PDF downloads: 34
Keywords:
China’s partnership, West Africa, economic sovereignty, Marxist imperialism, dependency theoryAbstract
This study critically examined China’s expanding influence in West Africa, considering five key states, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Mali, to assess the implications on economic sovereignty. The objectives are to critically assess the implications of China’s expanding influence in West Africa and the implications on economic sovereignty of the sub-region; examine the nature and extent of China’s economic engagement in West African states; and analyse how Chinese investments and infrastructure enhance or undermine the economic sovereignty of West Africa. Adopting a qualitative research design, the paper interrogates how Chinese loans, trade, and infrastructure investments reshape political economy dynamics and strategic dependencies across the sub-region. The method adopted for the study is the historical method relying on the Marxist imperialism and the dependency theories, which revealed a contemporary form of economic imperialism wherein capital accumulation benefits the dominant power while constraining the fiscal and policy autonomy of peripheral states. It was revealed that there is a shift from transactional partnerships to structural influence, positioning China as a development financier stakeholder in the sub-region. Chinese loans and investments have bridged critical infrastructural gaps, especially in energy, transport, and telecommunications. However, these projects are loan-driven and mainly executed by Chinese firms, thereby reinforcing the financial subordination of West African states, especially through capital export for surplus extraction. Multi-polarity has produced a competitive dependency where states oscillate between Chinese, Western, and multilateral financiers without achieving autonomy. West African sovereignty is being redefined, nominally independent but materially constrained as the region becomes a site of accumulation within the global capitalist order dominated by emerging powers like China. The study recommended that ECOWAS must be strategically reinforced to enable collective bargaining with China on major projects. West African governments must aggressively pursue diversification strategies, focusing industrial policy on high-value-added exports rather than raw materials.
References
Abidde, S.O., & Matambo, E. (2022). China and Nigeria: A century of engagement. Lexington Books.
Aidoo, R., & Hess, S. (2022). The political economy of Ghanaians’ attitudes toward China’s economic presence. African Studies Review, 65(1), 70-93.
Acheampong, E., & Aasim, M. (2024). Dependency and policy autonomy in emerging economies: Challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Development Studies, 10(1), 56-73.
Adisu, K., Sharkey, T., & Okoroafo, S.C. (2010). The impact of Chinese investment in Africa. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(9), 3-9. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v5n9p3
AIIAfrica.com. (2025, November 26). Nigeria: China pledges support for Nigeria’s port modernisation, automation project. Retrieved from https://www.allafrica.com/storie/202511260200html
Ake, C. (2019). The political economy of postcolonial Africa. Zed Books.
Alden, C. & Alves, P. (2009). China's 'Resource Diplomacy' in Africa: Natural Resources and the Pursuit of Power. In China Returns to Africa (pp. 23-44). Hurst.
Alden, C., & Jiang, L. (2019). Brave new world: Debt, industrialization and Africa–China relations. International Affairs, 95(3), 641–657.
Amin, S. (1976). Unequal development: An essay on the social formations of peripheral capitalism. Monthly Review Press.
AU. (2019). African Union and China sign cooperation plan on BRI and Africa’s development agenda. Retrieved from https://au.int
Bak, L.B.G. (2024). The era of geopolitical fragmentation. Securing the European aluminium supply. Copenhagen Business School. Retrieved from https://research-apic.cbs.dk/ws/portalfiles/portal/108054939/1892808
Bond, P. (2006). Looting Africa: The economics of exploitation. Zed Books.
Bosshard, P. (2020). Infrastructure for whom? A review of the Kenya Standard Gauge Railway. Journal of Infrastructure Development, 12(1), 1–22.
Bown, C. (2022). Trade liberalization and the constraints on sovereignty: Evidence from WTO dispute panels. World Trade Review, 21(3), 305-324.
Brautigam, D. (2020). A critical look at Chinese ‘debt-trap diplomacy’: The rise of a meme. Area Development and Policy, 5(1), 1–14.
Carmody, P., & Taylor, I. (2016). Globalisation, land grabbing, and the present-day imperialism: A Marxist critique. Third World Quarterly, 37(10), 1741–1766.
Chen, W., Dollar, D., & Tang, H. (2018). Why is China investing in Africa? Evidence from the film level. The World Bank Economic Review, 32(3), 610-634.
Chen, W., Fornino, M. & Rawlings, H. (2024). Navigating the evolving landscape between China and Africa’s economic engagements. IMF eLibrary. Retrieved from https://www.elibrary.imf.org/view/journal/001/2024/037/article-A001-en.xml?hl=en-GB
Chen, Y., & Landry, D. G. (2018). Capturing the Rains: Comparing Chinese and World Bank hydropower projects in Cameroon and Uganda. Energy Policy, 115, 561–571.
Chin, G. T. (2021). The Belt and Road Initiative and Africa’s integration agenda. Third World Quarterly, 42(10), 2292–2311.
Chuka, E. (2018). Dependency theory and global economic imbalance: A critique. UJAH, 19(1). http://dx.doi./org/10.4314/ujah.v19i1 .7
Cisse, D. (2021). The rise of bauxite mining in Guinea: An assessment of China’s role. China-Africa Research Initiative Policy Brief, No. 25.
Congressional Research Service (January 31, 2025). China and Sub-Saharan Africa. Retrieved from https://crsreports.congress.gov.
Corkin, L. (2013). Uncovering African agency: Angola’s management of China’s credit lines. Routledge.
Dahir, A.L. (October 5, 2018). Twice as many African presidents made it to China’s Africa summit than to the UN general assembly. Retrieved from https://qz.com/africa/1414004/more-africa-forum-than-un-general-assembly
Diallo, M. (2022). The Simandou iron ore project: A game changer for Guinea? The Africa Report. https://www.theafricareport.com/184819/the-simandou-iron-ore-project-a-game-changer-for-guinea/
Dollar, D. (2020). China and the West competing over infrastructure in SouthEast Asia. Foreign Policy at Brookings. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/fp_20200424-infrastructure-southeast-asia.pdf/hl=en-US
EPC, (June 5, 2025). Turning the tide: Towards open economic security-ten reflections. A compendium of Brussels Economic Security Forum.
Fang, L., & Liu, Y. (2023). Sovereignty and EU economic integration: Normative perspectives. European Journal of International Law, 34(2), 349-372.
Ferguson, R., & Zhang, S. (2024). Data sovereignty and digital infrastructure in the global economy. Technology and Development, 20(1), 30-50.
Frank, A. G. (1967). Capitalism and underdevelopment in Latin America. Monthly Review Press.
Fridman, O. (2024). Defining foreign influence and interference. A special publication in cooperation between the Institute for National Security Studies, Tel Aviv University, the Institute for the Study of Intelligence Methodology at the Israel Intelligence Heritage Commemoration Center (IICC), the Ministry of Intelligence
Gadzala, A. (Ed.). (2015). Africa and China: How Africans and their governments are shaping relations with China. Rowman & Littlefield.
Gagliardone, I. (2019). China, Africa, and the future of the internet. Zed Books.
Giddens, A. (2019). The consequences of modernity. Stanford University Press.
Green, A. (2021). Zambia’s debt default: Lessons for African borrowers. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from https://www.cfr.org
Gyude M.W. (2025). Channeling the FOCAC 2024. Financing pledge in a time of global turmoil. Centre for Global Development. Retrieved from https://www.cgdev.org/publication/channeling-focac-2024-financing-pledge-time-global-turmoil?hl=en-US
Harvey, D. (2003). The new imperialism. Oxford University Press.
Harvey, P. (2024). Structural adjustment and sovereignty in the era of globalization. Third World Quarterly, 45(2), 297-315.
Howell, M., & Prevenier, W. (2001). From reliable sources: An introduction to historical methods. Cornell University Press.
IMF (2023). West Africa regional economic outlook. International Monetary Fund.
Jones, L., & Hameiri, S., (2020). Debunking the myth of debt-trap diplomacy. Chatham House. Retrieved from https://www.chathamhouse.org/2020/08/debunking-myth-debt-trap-diplomacy?hl=en-US
Keohane, R., & Nye, J. (2018). Power and interdependence in the 21st century. International Political Science Review, 39(1), 40-55.
Kiyondo, A., & Mjema, E. (2019). China’s “debt-trap diplomacy” in Africa: Myth or reality? African Review, 46(2), 145-163
Klare, M.T. (2001). Resource wars: The new landscape of global conflict. Metropolitan Books.
Krasner, S. D. (2020). Sovereignty: Organized hypocrisy (2nd ed.). Princeton University Press.
Lawson, M., & Kweku, A. (2022). Post-conflict reconstruction and Chinese investment in Sierra Leone: Opportunities and setbacks. Journal of Modern Studies, 60(2), 209-230.
Lebard, C. (2021). Multinational corporations and resource control in Africa. Resources Policy, 72, 102058.
Lee, C. K. (2018). The specter of global China: Politics, labor, and foreign investment in Africa. University of Chicago Press.
Levathes, L. (1994). When China ruled the seas: The treasure fleet of the dragon throne, 1405-1433. Simon & Schuster, New York
Mbembe, A. (2017). Critique of black reason. Duke University Press.
Meagher, K. (2016). The scramble for Africans: Demography, globalization and Africa’s informal labour markets. Journal of Development Studies, 52(4), 483-497.
Monson, J. (2009). Africa's freedom railway: How a Chinese development project changed lives and livelihoods in Tanzania. Indiana University Press.
Nwoke, C.C., (2010). The new scramble for Africa. A strategic policy framework. In new scramble for Africa. Ed. by Eze O.C. and Anigbo C.A. Nigerian Institute for International Affairs, Lagos, 61-90
Obi, C. (2020). China and Africa: Emerging global order and contested hegemonies. African Development, 45(3), 1-24.
Obi, C. (2020a). China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Africa’s infrastructure development: Opportunities and pitfalls. African Affairs, 119(474), 426–444.
Obi, C., & Tchuban, H. (2022). Resource dependency, foreign influence, and sovereignty. Africa Spectrum, 57(2), 111-130.
Ogunleye, E. (2021). The dynamics of China-Nigeria economic relations. Oxford University Press.
Ogunsanwo, A. (2020). Nigeria and the BRICS, 2015-2019. In Nigeria’s Foreign Policy Under the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari 2015-2019. Ed. by Bukarembe, B., Agbu, O., Wapmuk, S., & Ilesanmi, O.A. The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos, Nigeria.
Ohmae, K. (2018). The borderless world: Power and strategy in the interlinked economy. Harvard Business Review Press.
Oluwatimilehin, S. & Cortez, A.C. (2025). Chinese engagement with Africa. A RAND Research Primer. RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California.
Pannell, C., (2008). China’s economic and political penetration in Africa. Eurasioan Geography and Economics 49(6):706-730. doi:10.2747/1539-7216.49.6.706
Pomeranz, K. (2024). Post-pandemic sovereignty debates and economic resilience. Global Policy, 15(1), 23-35.
Renwick, N., Gu, J., & Hong, S. (2018). China and African governance in the extractive industires. International Development Policy. Retrieved from https://journals.openedition.org/poldev/2547?hl=en-US.
Risse, T. (2021). Sovereignty and international norms: Shared authority in global governance. International Organization, 75(2), 567–589.
Rodrik, D. (2019). The global economy and the fragility of sovereignty. Finance & Development, 56(2), 34-39.
Rolland, N. (2020). The Belt and Road Initiative: Chinese and European perspectives. International Affairs, 96(1), 97-115
Santos, T. (1970). The structure of dependence. American Economic Review. Papers and proceedings of the eighty-second annual meeting of the American Economic Association, 60(2).
Schindler, M. (2023). Capital mobility and monetary independence. Emerging Markets Review, 45, 100867.
Shannon, M. (2019). Golden ventures: Chinese mining in Mali and the politics of territorialisation. Geopolitics, 24(4), 867-893.
Shehu, G. (2018). President Buhari’s takeaways from FOCAC Beijing Summit. The State House, Abuja. Retrieved from https://statehouse.gov.ng.
Sidiropoulos, E. (2020). African agency in the China–Africa relationship. South African Institute of International Affairs.
Simpson, G. (2022). The European Union and the limits of sovereignty. European Journal of International Law, 33(4), 839-856.
Singh, J.S. (2025). China’s economic diplomacy in Africa: Strategic partnership or neo-dependency: Global South Research Foundation. Retrieved from https://globalsouthrf.org/chinas-economic-diplomacy-in-africa-strategic-artnership-or-neo-dependenc/?hl=en-GB
Sun, Y. (2014). Africa in China's foreign policy. Brookings Institution. Retrieved from: https://www.brookings.edu
Sun, Y. (2022). China-Africa Trade Hits Record High in 2021 Despite Pandemic. Brookings Africa in Focus Blog.
Tonchev, P. (2018). China’s military base in Djibouti: Strategic implications. EU Institute for Security Studies.
UNCTAD (2022). Trade and development report 2022. United Nations conference on trade and development.
UNECA (2019). Economic Report on Africa: Fiscal Policy for Financing Sustainable Development in Africa.
Vines, A., Butler, C., & Jie, Y. (2022). The response to debt distress in Africa and the role of China. Chatham House. Retrieved from https:/www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/2022-12/2022-12-15-africa-china-debt-distress-vines-et-al.pdf?hl=en-US
Vinicius de Freitas, M. (2023). The impact of Chinese investments in Africa: Neocolonialism or cooperation? Policy Center for the New South. Retrieved from https://www.policycenter.ma/publicationchinsese-investments-africa-neocolonialism-or-cooperation
Xinhua. (2021). Xi Jinping pledges to halt new overseas coal projects. Retrieved from: https://www.xinhuanet.com
Yilmaz, A., & Liu, Z. (2023). Financial globalization and policy constraints. Journal of International Money and Finance, 124, 102637.
Zhou, T., & Liang, Y. (2024). Cooperative sovereignty: China's influence and African development. International Journal of Diplomacy and Development, 16(1), 65-8
Zoomers, A. (2010). Globalisation and foreignization of space: Seven processes driving the current global land grab. Journal of Peasant Studies, 37(2), 429-447.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Onome Odokuma, Abraham E. Orhero , Laz Etemike
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
