Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues

China’s engagement in Africa has generated opportunities for economic transformation, reviving the prospects for industrialization and job creation in some African countries following decades of neglect. Through funding and building infrastructure and direct greenfield investments, China is helping lay the foundations for industrialization in Africa, albeit unevenly and slowly. Join Professor Carlos Oya (SOAS University of London) as he discusses his recent book, China for Africa's Industrialization? (2025), which describes the vectors of Chinese engagement in Africa and their varied contributions to industrialization throughout the continent.

This is event is co-sponsored by Georgetown University’s Africa-China Initiative and Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues.

Carlos Oya is the head of the Department of Development Studies at the SOAS University of London. He additionally serves as a professor of political economy of development for SOAS’s College of Social Sciences.

Linda Calabrese (discussant) is a senior research fellow in the International Economic Development Group at ODI Global.

Arkebe Metiku Oqubay (discussant) is a British Academy Global Professor at the SOAS University of London’s Department of Development Studies. He previously served as the senior minister and special adviser to the prime minister of Ethiopia.