The Belt and Road Initiative and East Africa’s Regional Transport Infrastructure Development and Integration: Where Is the African Agency?

This article examines the African agency in the Belt and Road Initiative and East Africa’s (EA) transport infrastructure development and integration. A notable component of the BRI is the linkage between BRI projects’ funding and their implementation by Chinese enterprises, which raises questions on African governments’ ownership of the infrastructure development process and the presence of the African agency in the process. The study uses qualitative methods and secondary data, where content thematic analysis was employed to systematically retrieve information from the relevant documents. The study asks three critical research questions: How is African agency demonstrated in BRI projects in the EA? What are the limitations of African agency in BRI projects within the EA? What policy recommendations would enhance African agency in BRI projects in EA? From the findings, EA has exhibited both reactive and proactive forms of agency in their engagement within the BRI but with varying degrees of success in leveraging the principles of realism theory. There are indications that EA states have often reacted to opportunities and challenges posed by the BRI rather than strategically managing them from the outset. Issues like limited participation in financing and negotiations, as well as challenges with corruption and clientelism, suggest a more reactive agency. On the more proactive side, the involvement of civil society organisations (CSOs) and collective assertiveness by local communities highlight that there are elements within the EA that are actively trying to shape BRI projects to better align with public interests and community benefits. This demonstrates an understanding of the need to assert agency and protect national and regional interests. However, the overall strategic approach of EA states in leveraging power and national and regional interests seems to be limited. The findings suggest a lack of unified and coherent strategy across EA countries regarding BRI engagements. This lack of coordination can undermine the potential to fully exercise sovereignty and enhance bargaining power, calling for the EA to adopt a properly coordinated and strategic regional approach, enhancing their bargaining power and reducing dependency on China to better secure their interests in the long term.