China’s Belt and Road Initiative Linkages with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 in Historical Perspective

Jul 6, 2026

The paper examines the African interface of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), mapping synergies with the African Union’s development agenda and assessing how the initiative can converge with Agenda 2063’s Aspirations 2, 4, and 5. It argues the BRI may support Africa’s industrialisation and infrastructure rollout, strengthen intra-continental trade, bolster peace and security architecture, and enhance people-to-people exchanges. It closes with an empirical caution: beneficiation requires synchronized infrastructure planning aligned with socio-economic and demographic realities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

Abstract

Introduction

BRI’s scale and relevance for Africa

Linking BRI with Agenda 2063 aspirations

Transnational Corporations Review ISSN: 1918-6444 (Print) 1925-2099 (Online) Journal homepage: [https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rncr20](https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rncr20) China’s belt and road initiative: linkages with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 in historical perspective Bhaso Ndzendze & David Monyae To cite this article: Bhaso Ndzendze & David Monyae (2019) China’s belt and road initiative: linkages with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 in historical perspective, Transnational Corporations Review, 11:1, 38-49, DOI: 10. 1080/19186444 .2019.1578160 To link to this article: [https://doi.org/10.1080/19186444.2019.1578160](https://doi.org/10.1080/19186444.2019.1578160) Published online: 06 Mar 2019. | Submit your article to this journal | | | --- | --- | | Article views: 1207 | | | | View related articles | | | View Crossmark data | | Citing articles: 19 View citing articles | | Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at [https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rncr20](https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rncr20) TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS REVIEW 2019, VOL. 11, NO. 1, 38–49 [https://doi.org/10.1080/19186444.2019.1578160](https://doi.org/10.1080/19186444.2019.1578160) RESEARCH ARTICLE China’s belt and road initiative: linkages with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 in historical perspective Bhaso Ndzendze and David Monyae Centre for Africa-China Studies, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa ABSTRACT This paper examines the African interface of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), identifying synergies between it and Africa’s development agenda. Particularly assessed is its capacity to converge with the African Union’s Agenda 2063’s Aspirations 2, 4 and 5 . The paper argues that the BRI appears to have developmental implications for Africa in terms of industrialisation and infrastructure rolling out and by extension boosting intra-continental trade, the African Peace and Security Architecture and intra-continental people-to-people exchange. The paper concludes with an empirical case for caution; indicating that for beneficiation levels to grow, a concerted effort on the part of both Africa and China is needed in order to synchronise infrastructure with socio-economic/demographic realities (rather than perceiving it as only an engineering problem), so that it is not only outward as was seen with colonial-era railways which were only coastally directed due to the extractive nature of colonial economies, resulting in infrastructural debilitation after independence. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 8 October 2018 Revised 12 January 2019 Accepted 27 January 2019 KEYWORDS Belt and road initiative; African Union; Agenda 2063; African infrastructural development; Forum on China–Africa cooperation; maritime silk road; economic belt 1. Introduction With over 70 states already expressing interest or incorporated into it, the Belt and Road Initiative (previously called as the ‘One Belt One Road’ [OBOR]) advanced by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the largest amalgamation of states outside of the United Nations (UN) . Further, as an economic policy framework, it holds the prospect for development of many poor countries, including those on the African continent. The BRI and Africa’s aspirations are therefore intertwined and mutually achievable. This was the outcome which emanated from the 7th summit of the two-day Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Beijing in early September 2018 . This has also been argued by multiple scholars, beginning in 2013 when the BRI was first announced. However, in both the official statements and the scholarly literature, there is little to no articulation of the exact linkages between the BRI and the African developmental agenda, as well as the causal pathways which could be exploited to bring these convergences into reality. In this paper, we attempt to

FAQs

What is the central focus of the paper?

The paper studies the African interface of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and identifies synergies with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, especially Aspirations 2, 4, and 5.

How does the paper argue the BRI could benefit Africa?

It argues the BRI has developmental implications for industrialisation and infrastructure, which can boost intra-continental trade, support peace and security architecture, and expand people-to-people exchanges.

What caution does the paper provide and why?

It warns that real beneficiation depends on a coordinated effort by both Africa and China to synchronize infrastructure with socio-economic and demographic realities, rather than treating it only as an engineering project.

Jul 6, 2026

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