Trilateral Cooperation on Trade and Investment: Implications for African Industrialisation

Africa’s trade and investment relations with China and the UK has changed drastically over the last few decades, especially with Chinese economic growth. However, while economic openness, trade and investment appear to have come hand-in-hand with poverty reduction in the rise of the “Asian Tigers” and, recently, in China itself, the links appear, so far, to be less clear in sub-Saharan Africa. Recent research analysing UK and Chinese trade and investment relations and their impacts on poverty reduction with Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa highlights how both countries can play a complementary role in aid-led investment and meeting local demand.