Securing China's Overseas Investment for Africa's Future Developement : Evidence from West Africa

Scholarly Essay from the year 2014 in the subject Economics - International Economic Relations, , language: English, abstract: The latter part of the twentieth century saw diverse investors actively looking for a favorable and secured environment for their capital investment. In the past, the black continent seldom rings a bell in the mind of most investors, but with the current uncertainties as well as financial crisis experienced globally coupled with the augmented demand of natural supplies forced investors to turn to Africa. For the past ten years, this situation has placed all Africa countries, including both developed and emerging nations in an embarrassing situation with a very low overseas investment. It is impossible to debate Africa's development issue without pointing out the recent Chinese investment in the continent. For the past twenty years, China's interest in the region has increase significantly. At the same time, it has aroused intense discussions with the international community because it has the drive to set up a lasting partnership with African nations. This new status quo will inevitably generate legal protection difficulties for the interest of each party. This paper looks at the influence of Chinese investment on African nation's development. The paper looks at the challenges most Chinese investors' encounter in Africa, and what legal protection the host nation provides to the investors to secure their profits and simultaneously safeguard their personal interest.