Digital Silk Road and African Agency: Chinese Digital Investment in Ghana’s Political Economy

Isaac Odoom

This paper explores the political economy of Chinese digital infrastructure investments in
Ghana, focusing on how Ghanaian actors navigate these engagements to advance national
development priorities. Drawing on Critical African Political Economy (CAPE) and
Technology-for-Development (T4D) frameworks, it examines the interplay between
external capital, domestic agency, and the pursuit of digital transformation. While
Chinese firms such as Huawei have become central to Ghana’s digital rollout through
loans and turnkey projects, their presence is not simply imposed. Ghanaian policymakers
and actors negotiate outcomes, often balancing developmental needs with concerns over
sovereignty and dependence.

The paper situates Ghana’s digital agenda within broader global shifts, marked by rising
debt, shrinking Western infrastructure financing, and expanding South-South
cooperation. It argues that these digital partnerships, while often asymmetrical, are not
devoid of African agency. These engagements reflect neither full dependency nor
unrestrained agency, but a form of negotiated interdependence. The study contributes to
debates on digital development, technological sovereignty, and African agency in the
context of China’s expanding role in the Global South.