Photo credit: the Chinese Post
Chinese workers are returning to Africa, reversing a decade-long decline and signalling a renewed focus on strategic mega-projects across the continent.
The South China Morning Post reports that in 2024, there were 90,793 Chinese workers oncontracted projects and labour services on the continent, an increase of about 4 per cent over the 87,078 recorded the previous year, according to data from the China Africa Research Initiative (CARI) at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
The upturn marks the end of a downward trend that had persisted since 2015, when the workforce peaked at a record 263,696. This milestone coincided with China’s era of extensive bilateral lending, but it cooled as Beijing started adopting a more cautious approach to its financing for the Belt and Road Initiative projects.
Now, as investment flows accelerate, mostly driven by Chuneze state-owned enterprises, worker numbers are once again increasing in key countries across Africa.
Last year, nearly half of all \Chinese workers on the continent were concentrated in five nations, namely Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Angola and Nigeria.
CARI clarifies that these statistics track personnel on formal state contracts, while excluding the broader population of informal migrants, including traders and shopkeepers
The recent increase in Chinese workers is largely driven by major resource projects like Guinea’s Simandou iron ore venture. It requires substantial skilled labour for its final construction phase.
