China’s ‘New Silk Road’ initiative presents Africa with an unprecedented chance to upgrade the infrastructure and logistical capacity of its ports and other commercial facilities. Officially called the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the plan is to create a trade network that spans the globe via both land and sea routes (respectively, the ‘belt’ and the ‘road’). Crucially, the project will see investment in infrastructure from Beijing to make it easier for Chinese companies to move goods around the world.

Trade between China and Africa is substantial, and exceeded $200 billion in value last year – thus making China the continent’s largest trading partner. More than 90% of the goods leaving Africa are transported by sea, meaning that ports are a vital element of the continent’s logistics network.