ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – China has earned recognition as a pivotal infrastructure financing ally across Africa, with continental leaders advocating for deepened collaborations that align with domestic industrial expansion and increased mobilization of indigenous capital. The assessment emerged during high-level discussions preceding the 39th African Union Summit, scheduled for this weekend in the Ethiopian capital.
Lerato Dorothy Mataboge, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union Commission, emphasized China’s substantial contributions to Africa’s infrastructural advancement, describing it as fundamental to sustainable development. “This positions China as a strategic partner in efforts to bridge long-standing infrastructure gaps,” Mataboge stated in an exclusive interview with China Daily.
The commissioner outlined a vision for future cooperation that transcends mere financing, focusing instead on alignment with Africa’s industrial ambitions through strengthened local content requirements, skills transfer, and domestic value addition. She revealed that African governments currently bear the majority of infrastructure expenditures, with private sector participation remaining constrained.
Highlighting the continent’s substantial untapped financial resources, Mataboge cited an estimated $4.6 trillion in domestic capital that remains largely unexploited for infrastructure development. She urged African nations to leverage pension funds and other capital pools, typically invested in low-risk instruments, toward productive infrastructure sectors.
Through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative, China has extensively invested in Africa’s transportation networks, energy systems, and port facilities, completing numerous landmark projects over the past decade. The upcoming AU Summit, themed “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” will address infrastructure investments supporting long-term economic transformation.
African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf reinforced the need for innovative financing mechanisms and strengthened partnerships with private entities and civil society. He reaffirmed that the African Continental Free Trade Area and AU institutions remain central to advancing regional integration, infrastructure expansion, and cross-border trade.
United Nations Under-Secretary-General Claver Gatete underscored infrastructure’s critical role in promoting socioeconomic development, noting that water accessibility remains a severe challenge. Gatete revealed that over 300 million Africans lack access to safe drinking water, while nearly 780 million experience inadequate sanitation, resulting in waterborne diseases that claim lives and impair economic productivity.
“Without reliable water infrastructure, industrial zones struggle to compete, logistics hubs cannot scale efficiently, and urban economies face limits to sustainable growth,” Gatete emphasized, advocating for integrated development approaches where infrastructure, finance, trade, and industrial policy operate cohesively.
Mataboge concluded by urging member states to synchronize national infrastructure plans with continental priorities, ensuring policy continuity beyond electoral cycles and accelerating Africa’s industrial transformation.