Chinese workers return to Africa as lucrative job opportunities beckon

Chinese workers are returning to Africa in their thousands, reversing a decade-long decline and signalling a renewed focus on strategic mega-projects across the continent.

In 2024, there were 90,793 Chinese workers on contracted projects and labour services on the continent, an increase of about 4 per cent over the 87,078 recorded the previous year, according to data from the China Africa Research Initiative (CARI) at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Now, as investment flows accelerate, mostly driven by Chinese state-owned enterprises, worker numbers are once again increasing in key countries across Africa.

Last year, nearly half of all Chinese workers on the continent were concentrated in five nations, namely Guinea (11,071), the Democratic Republic of Congo (9,694), Egypt (8,170), Angola (7,444) and Nigeria (6,035).

CARI clarifies that these statistics track personnel on formal state contracts, while excluding the broader population of informal migrants, including traders and shopkeepers.

South China Morning Post