By Maureen Heydt Africa is bearing the brunt of the climate crisis despite having done little to contribute to it, at 3.8 percent of global emissions. Against a backdrop of devastating floods and drought, Africa receives approximately 5 percent of global climate finance flows. Meanwhile, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine, rising levels of […]
By Christina Duran China has been under international scrutiny for its loans to developing countries, while simultaneously being criticized for not playing an active role in helping countries under debt distress. Following China’s announcement in August that it would waive 23 overdue interest-free loans with maturity by the end of 2021 for 17 African countries, […]
On August 19, 2022, China announced it would waive 23 interest-free loans (IFLs) with maturity by the end of 2021 for 17 unspecified African countries worth an unspecified total amount. While it is challenging to determine the exact amount of the cancelations due to lack of information, a new policy brief by the Boston University […]
By Jyhjong Hwang On Thursday, April 28, the Boston University Global Development Policy (GDP) Center hosted a webinar discussion and demonstration of the Chinese Loans to Africa (CLA) Database. The webinar followed the launch of new data and an updated website experience earlier that week. During the webinar, Oyintarelado (Tarela) Moses discussed the main findings […]
By Oyintarelado (Tarela) Moses and Jyhjong Hwang The 2022 update to the Chinese Loans to Africa (CLA) Database, managed by the Boston University Global Development Policy (GDP) Center, recorded 11 new loan commitments worth $1.9 billion from Chinese lenders to African government borrowers in 2020. This low amount, not seen since the mid-2000s, is down […]
In 2020, the Chinese Loans to Africa (CLA) Database, managed by the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, recorded 11 new loan commitments worth $1.9 billion from Chinese lenders to African government borrowers. This low amount, not seen since the mid-2000s, is down 77 percent from 2019 volumes, when Chinese lenders signed 32 loan agreements […]
In November 2020, Zambia became the first African country to default on its Eurobonds during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing the country’s debt distress into headlines around the world. Bondholders’ refusal to provide debt suspension rested largely on fears that Zambia was not disclosing significant liabilities to Chinese creditors. In August 2021, national elections led to […]
Summarizing 20 years of data, Kevin Acker and Deborah Brautigam discuss the changing landscape of Chinese lending to Africa in a new policy brief, jointly published with the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS-CARI). In the policy brief, Brautigam, SAIS-CARI Director, and Acker, SAIS-CARI […]
In recent years, China has become a highly visible and talked about actor in Africa’s financial landscape. As the economic and political dimensions of China-Africa relations continue to grow and shift, how has Chinese lending to African nations changed over time? What was the state of Chinese lending to Africa prior to the COVID-19 pandemic […]