China’s Engagement in West Africa: The Cases of Ghana and Senegal

The document analyzes China's strategic efforts to increase its presence in West Africa, contrasting the deep, multi-sectoral engagement in Ghana with the more recent and technology-focused growth in Senegal. It attributes these differences to the length of diplomatic relations and the lingering influence of former colonial powers, particularly France.

• China's engagement in West Africa has historically been modest compared to southern and eastern Africa, but it has increasingly sought to extend its influence in the region since the mid-2000s as part of a broader strategy to secure political and diplomatic support.
• China has established a deep and diverse presence in Ghana, becoming its largest trading partner and foreign investor by 2020. This engagement spans infrastructure (such as the Bui Dam and roads between Accra and Tema), manufacturing, energy, education, and security.
• In Ghana, China has become the primary arms provider, supplying 46% of the total value of weapons (excluding small arms and light weapons) between 2000 and 2018, totaling USD 112 million.
• China's engagement in Senegal is more recent and less broad than in Ghana, but it is rapidly expanding in the digital sector. In 2021, Senegal announced it would move government data and digital platforms to Huawei servers, and the PRC financed a data centre in Diaminadio.
• The level of Chinese engagement in West African nations is influenced by the role of former colonial powers; specifically, France's continued military and diplomatic ties with its ex-colonies have restricted China's security engagement in those areas compared to former British colonies.
• The duration of diplomatic ties significantly impacts the depth of cooperation, as China has maintained relations with Ghana since 1960, whereas relations with Senegal were only restored in 2005.

APA

Sandnes, M., & Carrozza, I. (2022). China’s Engagement in West Africa: The Cases of Ghana and Senegal. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/a296fbfd-fa6c-45f7-b549-e62278202abe/Carrozza and Sandnes - Chinas Engagement in West Africa The Cases of Ghana and Senegal PRIO Policy Brief 9-2022.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Sandnes, Marie, and Ilaria Carrozza. China’s Engagement in West Africa: The Cases of Ghana and Senegal. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2022. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/a296fbfd-fa6c-45f7-b549-e62278202abe/Carrozza and Sandnes - Chinas Engagement in West Africa The Cases of Ghana and Senegal PRIO Policy Brief 9-2022.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sandnes |first1=Marie |last2=Carrozza |first2=Ilaria |title=China’s Engagement in West Africa: The Cases of Ghana and Senegal |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=September 2022 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/a296fbfd-fa6c-45f7-b549-e62278202abe/Carrozza and Sandnes - Chinas Engagement in West Africa The Cases of Ghana and Senegal PRIO Policy Brief 9-2022.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sandnes2022chinas, author = {Sandnes, Marie and Carrozza, Ilaria}, title = {{China’s Engagement in West Africa: The Cases of Ghana and Senegal}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/a296fbfd-fa6c-45f7-b549-e62278202abe/Carrozza and Sandnes - Chinas Engagement in West Africa The Cases of Ghana and Senegal PRIO Policy Brief 9-2022.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }