This paper seeks to analyze the effect of Chinese aid on socioeconomic development in Africa. China’s aid to Africa has significantly impacted the continent’s development, focusing on economic, social, and political di-mensions. Economically, China’s aid has led to infrastructure projects like roads, railways, and ports, improving connectivity and trade. However, concerns have been raised about the debt sustainability of these projects and their long-term impact on African economies. Socially, China’s aid has supported healthcare, education, and poverty alleviation initiatives, im-proving living standards for many Africans. However, questions have been raised about the quality and sustainability of these social development projects. Politically, China’s aid has influenced diplomatic relations be-tween African countries and other global powers, leading to shifts in alli-ances and power dynamics. The non-interference policy of China in Afri-can domestic affairs has been praised for respecting sovereignty but criti-cized for enabling corruption and human rights abuses. Based on the as-sumption that Chinese aid differs from traditional ODA, and that China does not publish its aid data many studies have tried to identify its impact on economic growth in Africa. There is still reliance on anecdotal evidence of Chinese aid to recipient African countries. There is still no final con-sensus on the impact of Chinese aid on socioeconomic welfare in recipient countries. All the African countries were used as the main unit of analysis, since it represents the major recipient of Chinese aid. The findings indicate that in recipient African countries Chinese ODA-like aid has a positive ef-fect on socioeconomic development, and its component dimensions. Over-all, China's foreign aid strategy reflects a unique approach that challenges traditional donor-recipient dynamics, emphasizes mutual benefit, and pri-oritizes sovereignty and non-interference in domestic affairs [1]. This ap-proach has garnered recognition from many African countries and high-lights China’s evolving role in international development efforts.
Cite this paper
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