February 9, 2015

On January 24th, the African Union (AU) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China for a series of infrastructure projects which will stretch the African continent. Described by AU president Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as “the most substantive project the AU has ever signed with a partner” and by Special Envoy of the Chinese government and Vice Foreign Minister of China, the “document of the century”, the announcement was nevertheless short on details. No price tag has been put on the deal and no timeline has been attached; the only detail announced was that committees focusing on four key sectors - rail, road, aviation and industrialisation - will be set up. Despite the vagueness of the announcement, the project nevertheless points toward a more general shifting model of engagement, echoed in other recently inaugurated projects. The trans-national nature points to the continued commitment to African regional and continental interconnectivity and the trade increases it will facilitate. The scale of the project also indicates the necessity of further diversification of companies involved as well as sources of financing.

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