China-powered ICT Infrastructure: Lessons from Tanzania and Cambodia

The document examines China's role as a primary funder and contractor of ICT networks in the Global South, specifically through the Digital Silk Road (DSR) initiative. It compares the implementation of a submarine fibre optic cable in Cambodia and the National ICT Broadband Backbone in Tanzania. The analysis finds that while these projects generally had limited environmental impacts and provided essential connectivity, they suffered from a lack of transparency and mixed results in socioeconomic mitigation, such as limited high-level technology transfer and underutilisation of infrastructure.

• Chinese ICT projects in Tanzania and Cambodia generally resulted in limited environmental, socioeconomic, and governance (ESG) outcomes, with minimal environmental impacts but a notable lack of transparency.
• The Digital Silk Road (DSR), a pillar of the Belt and Road Initiative, aims to expand global digital connectivity through cross-border optical cables and e-commerce, with China signing DSR MOUs with 16 countries and e-commerce MOUs with 19 countries by 2019.
• In Cambodia, the AAE-1 submarine fibre optic cable project, involving a $69.7 million investment over 25 years by CFOCN (a HyalRoute Group branch), reduced Cambodia's dependence on Vietnam for network sustainability but lacked transparency regarding financing, procurement, and employment in its ESIA report.
• Tanzania's National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB), financed by approximately $264 million in China Exim Bank loans, improved e-education and e-government services but faced challenges with underutilisation and inadequate local management due to limited capacity building by the contractor.
• The NICTBB project in Tanzania created over 9,000 local jobs, but technology transfer was limited as local firm participation was restricted to the lower end of the technology value chain.
• There are distinct patterns in China's ICT engagement: African projects are typically government-to-government initiatives backed by concessional loans, whereas Southeast Asian projects involve more market bidding, non-concessional loans, and greater efforts to engage local elites and legal frameworks.

APA

AGBEBI, M., XUE, G., & YU, Z. (2021). China-powered ICT Infrastructure: Lessons from Tanzania and Cambodia. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Policy-Briefing-252-agbebi-xue-yu.pdf

Chicago

AGBEBI, MOTOLANI, GONG XUE, and ZHENG YU. China-powered ICT Infrastructure: Lessons from Tanzania and Cambodia. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2021. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Policy-Briefing-252-agbebi-xue-yu.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=AGBEBI |first1=MOTOLANI |last2=XUE |first2=GONG |last3=YU |first3=ZHENG |title=China-powered ICT Infrastructure: Lessons from Tanzania and Cambodia |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=November 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Policy-Briefing-252-agbebi-xue-yu.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{agbebi2021chinapowered, author = {AGBEBI, MOTOLANI and XUE, GONG and YU, ZHENG}, title = {{China-powered ICT Infrastructure: Lessons from Tanzania and Cambodia}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Policy-Briefing-252-agbebi-xue-yu.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }