Digital technologies have many potential benefits for people in African countries. With their help they can improve their health services. Not only this, it can promote education and increase financial inclusion. But there are obstacles to realizing these benefits. The infrastructure needed to connect communities is missing in many places. There is also a lack of technology and finance. In 2023, only 83% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population was covered by at least 3G mobile networks. Coverage in all other areas was more than 95%. In the same year, less than half of Africa’s population had an active mobile broadband subscription, which was lower than the Arab countries (75%) and the Asia-Pacific region (88%). Therefore, Africans account for a large share of the estimated 2.6 billion people who will be offline globally in 2023.
China is a major partner for Africa in overcoming this obstacle. Many African countries depend on China as their main technology provider and sponsor of large digital infrastructure projects. This relationship is the subject of a study I recently published. The study revealed that at least 38 countries worked closely with Chinese companies to develop their domestic fiber-optic networks and data center infrastructure or their technical knowledge.
China’s participation was important because African countries have made great progress in digital development. Despite the persistent digital divide between Africa and other regions, 3G network coverage is expected to increase from 22% to 83% between 2010 and 2023. Active mobile broadband subscription to grow from less than 2% in 2010 to 48% in 2023. However, there is a risk for governments that foreign-led digital growth will leave existing dependency structures in place.
Due to dependence on foreign technology and finance
The global market for information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure is controlled by a handful of producers. For example, the main suppliers of fiber-optic cable, a network component that enables high-speed Internet, are China-based Huawei and ZTE and Swedish company Ericsson. Many African countries with limited internal revenues cannot afford these network components. Infrastructure investment depends on foreign finance, including concessional loans, commercial loans or public-private partnerships. These may also influence the state’s choice of infrastructure provider.
The terrain of the African continent increases technical and financial difficulties. The vast land and challenging topography makes the implementation of infrastructure very expensive. Private investors avoid less populated areas because they do not get paid to provide services there. Landlocked states rely on the infrastructure and goodwill of coastal countries to connect to international fiber-optic landing stations.
A full-package solution
It is sometimes believed that African leaders choose Chinese providers because they offer the cheapest technology. Actual evidence suggests otherwise. Chinese contractors are attractive partners because they can offer full-package solutions that also include finance.
Under the so-called ‘EPC+F’ (Engineer, Procure, Construct + Fund/Finance) scheme, Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE oversee engineering, procurement and construction while Chinese banks provide state-backed finance. Angola, Uganda and Zambia are some of the countries that appear to have benefited from such deals. Such holistic solutions attract African countries.
What’s in it for China?
As part of its ‘go-global’ strategy, the Chinese government encourages Chinese companies to invest and operate overseas. The government provides financial support and hopes that companies will increase the global competitiveness of Chinese products and the national economy.
In the long term, Beijing wants to establish and promote Chinese digital standards and norms. Research partnerships and training opportunities introduce increasing numbers of students to Chinese technology. The Chinese government hopes that mobile applications and startups in Africa will increasingly reflect Beijing’s technological and ideological principles. This includes China’s interpretation of human rights, data privacy and freedom of speech.
This is in line with China’s ‘Digital Silk Road’ vision, complementing its Belt and Road Initiative by creating new trade routes. In the digital sphere, the goal is technological supremacy and greater autonomy from Western suppliers. The government is striving for a more China-centric global digital order. Infrastructure investment and training partnerships in African countries provide a starting point.
Long-term implications
From a technical perspective, excessive dependence on a single infrastructure supplier makes the customer situation more vulnerable. When a customer is heavily dependent on a particular supplier, it is difficult and costly to switch to a different provider. African countries may get trapped in the Chinese digital ecosystem.
Researchers such as Arthur Gugwa of the Ethics Institute of Utrecht University (Netherlands) believe that China’s export of critical infrastructure components will lead to military and industrial espionage. These claims say that China-made devices are designed in such a way that cyber attacks can be facilitated.
Human Rights Watch, an international NGO that researches and advocates on human rights, has expressed concern that Chinese infrastructure increases the risk of technology-enabled authoritarianism. In particular, Huawei has been accused of colluding with the governments to spy on political opponents in Uganda and Zambia. Huawei has denied the allegations.
The way forward
Chinese partnership provides a faster path to digital progress for African countries. It also exposes African states to the risk of long-term dependency. The solution is to diversify infrastructure supply, training opportunities and partnerships. There is also a need to call for interoperability in international forums such as the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations agency responsible for issues related to information and communications technologies. Interoperability allows a product or system to interact with other products and systems. This means that customers can purchase technology components from different providers and switch to other technology solutions. This supports market competition and high-quality solutions by preventing users from being limited to one vendor. Ultimately, in the long term, African countries should build their own infrastructure and reduce dependence on others.
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