The Unspoken Reason Why Some African Nations Choose Chinese Funding
Is Africa's urgent need for life-saving infrastructure investment driving leaders of some African nations to accept fast financing from China? Dr. Abdul-Gafar Tobi Oshodi of the Department of Political Science, Lagos State University (LASU), argues that western lenders' requirements for good governance may inadvertently be clashing with local governments' desire to quickly build what their citizens need: "Infrastructure, we know, propels development. Infrastructure extends the life expectancy of people. Infrastructure supports education. Infrastructure adds value to people's lives. So sometimes you don't have the one year, the two year, the four years to discuss with the west, with the World Bank, to get loans, when China is easily approachable to get the same loans. So that is why China will continue to tomorrow to be the better option."
This interview was recorded in 2020.