Chinese firms are stakeholders in more than a quarter of Africa’s ports

Chinese firms are active stakeholders in an estimated 78 of 231 African commercial ports, according to a new tally by the Washington-based African Center for Strategic Studies.

“This is a significantly greater presence than anywhere else in the world,” noted the academic institution, which sits within the US Department of Defense. By comparison, it said, Latin America and the Caribbean host 10 Chinese-built or operated ports, while Asian countries host 24.

Nearly half of the Chinese firms in Africa — which operate as builders, financiers, or operators of the ports — are in the west, with the rest spread across the continent. In some cases, like the Lekki Deep Sea Port in Nigeria, Chinese companies dominate the whole port development enterprise.

Beyond the financial benefit to the firms, access to African ports gives China the opportunity to establish strategic maritime and military operations on the continent, ACSS’s analysis said.