China’s Silent Storm in Sierra Leone

The document examines China's role in Sierra Leone as a trade partner and infrastructure developer. While Chinese activities may promote overall economic growth, the author argues that weak local institutions hinder the ability to ensure these investments lead to significant poverty reduction or employment. The brief highlights specific infrastructure projects, the nature of Chinese developmental aid, and the challenges regarding labour rights and corporate social responsibility in the mining sector.

• China's activities in Sierra Leone are significant and may support overall economic growth, but they may not result in effective poverty reduction or substantial job creation in the long term because the country's institutions are too weak to regulate private investors.
• Chinese developmental aid to Sierra Leone is relatively low compared to OECD countries and typically consists of infrastructure, health care, food aid, and education, including the annual provision of scholarships for 30 students to study in China and the deployment of 14 medical teams since the 1970s.
• China has developed significant infrastructure in Sierra Leone, including the National Stadium, Youyi Building, and the China–Sierra Leone Friendship Hospital. In July 2013, President Ernest Bai Koroma announced deals with Chinese Railway International Company for a railway and international airport valued at $8 billion.
• Some Chinese infrastructure projects have been inefficient and costly; for example, the 4 km-long Wilkinson Road in Freetown cost $18 million, resulting in a unit price of approximately $4.5 million per kilometre, far exceeding the international average of $250,000.
• China is Sierra Leone's second largest import and export partner after the EU. While 30 Chinese companies operate in the country, Chinese mining extraction is still in early stages compared to Western firms, and working conditions in Chinese mines are perceived as worse.
• There is an increasing trend for Chinese state-owned companies to adopt corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, though only two projects have been officially reported in Sierra Leone: food aid from China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation and donations of school materials by the Chinese Railway Group Ltd.

APA

Datzberger, S. (2013). China’s Silent Storm in Sierra Leone. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Policy-Briefing-71.pdf

Chicago

Datzberger, Simone. China’s Silent Storm in Sierra Leone. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2013. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Policy-Briefing-71.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Datzberger |first1=Simone |title=China’s Silent Storm in Sierra Leone |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=August 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Policy-Briefing-71.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{datzberger2013chinas, author = {Datzberger, Simone}, title = {{China’s Silent Storm in Sierra Leone}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Policy-Briefing-71.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }