mandag 24. november 2025

Chinese consumer brands flood into Africa as old investment model fades and exports jump 28%

Chinese business dealings in Africa, once dominated by state-owned enterprises, are now increasingly shifting toward consumer products from the private sector. While Africa’s faster-growing economies, such as Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, see annual growth rates of 4.8%, 6.4% and 5.8%, respectively, the GDP of the overall continent’s 50-plus countries is 4.1%. That is according to IMF’s economic outlook report last month.

Chinese investments in Africa’s resource-intensive sectors have declined by roughly 40% since their 2015 peak, amid weaker returns and falling construction revenues in traditional commodity industries, according to Rhodium Group China Cross-Border Monitor released on Nov. 18 this year.