African Bureaucratic Agency and Chinese Digital Engagement with Africa: The Case of Zambia

Hangwei Li

Drawing on extensive interviews with Zambian government officials, bureaucrats, and both Chinese and Zambian professionals in the digital sector, Hangwei’s article examines how Zambian bureaucrats perceive, respond to, and engage with Chinese-financed digital projects (particularly the Smart Zambia project and the Digital Migration project) amid changing political landscape. It argues that Zambian bureaucrats are not merely passive recipients of Chinese-financed digital projects but actively exercise meaningful influence and agency through various tactics, including bureaucratic negotiation, inter-agency coordination, project oversight, and, at times, the strategic delaying of projects.