Book Talk: China for Africa’s Industrialization?

This event took place on January 30th, 2026 and was hosted online via Zoom webinar.

China’s engagement in Africa has generated opportunities for economic transformation, reviving the prospects for industrialization and job creation in some African countries following decades of neglect. Through funding and building infrastructure and direct greenfield investments, China is helping lay the foundations for industrialization in Africa, albeit unevenly and slowly. Oya argues that, while the case for industrialization-led structural transformation is strong, the proposed means and impacts have varied across the continent and, as such, requires ongoing comparative examination.

This event was co-sponsored by the Africa-China Initiative and the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues.

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Carlos Oya is the Head of the Department of Development Studies at the SOAS University of London. He additionally serves as a Professor of Political Economy of Development for SOAS’s College of Social Sciences.

Discussants:

Linda Calabrese is a Senior Research Fellow in the International Economic Development Group at ODI Global.

Arkebe Metiku Oqubay is a British Academy Global Professor at the SOAS University of London’s Department of Development Studies. He previously served as the Senior Minister and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia.