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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: China BRI Africa
HEADLINE: China’s BRI Brings Africa Roads, Rails, Energy and Debt
TEASER: Many countries in Africa now have more infrastructure and more debt 10 years after China’s Belt and Road Initiative
PUBLISHED AT: 10/10/2023 at 9:30am
BYLINE: Mariama Diallo
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Nairobi, Kenya
VIDEOGRAPHER: Amos Wangua
PRODUCER: Amos Wangua
SCRIPT EDITORS: ELee, DJones, wpm
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA original, Wires
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_
TRT: 3:32
VID APPROVED BY: mia
TYPE: TV/R
EDITOR NOTES: This is part of a BRI series))
((INTRO))
[[Some 150 countries - many of them in Africa - have signed on to China’s 10-year-old Belt and Road Initiative also known as the BRI. And while the multibillion-dollar global infrastructure project helped bring roads, rails, infrastructure, it also left some countries saddled with debt. VOA Nairobi Bureau Chief Mariama Diallo takes a look at the impact the BRI has had in Africa and the benefits and critiques of the Chinese initiative.]]
((NATS POP, TRAIN WITH FORMER KENYAN PRESIDENT KENYATTA WAVING FLAG))
((NARRATOR))
This Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which debuted in Kenya six years ago, was hailed by Kenyan officials as one of the biggest and most successful projects since the nation’s independence in the 1960s. Travel time from Mombasa to Nairobi used to be up to 10 hours. Now, it only takes about 5 to 6 hours.
[[FOR RADIO: Passenger Denis Ombuna likes the faster route]]
((Denis Ombuna, Passenger))
"If you are a businessman, you are going for an interview, it saves you time."
((NARRATOR))
Kenya borrowed some $5 billion from China to build railway lines connecting the port city of Mombasa to Nairobi and Nairobi to Naivasha.
This is a part of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative or the BRI.
It’s a global infrastructure, trade and telecommunications project that includes the goal of connecting Kenya to Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan.
[[FOR RADIO: Vincent Kimosop is a Kenyan economist and consultant with Sovereign Insight in Nairobi]]
((Vincent Kimosop, Economist))
“The good side is, it’s a framework for transportation: transportation of goods, transportation of cargo.”
((NARRATOR))
But economist Vincent Kimosop wishes some things were done differently for the railway, also called SGR.
((Vincent Kimosop – Economist))
“I wish those responsible for negotiating the SGR would’ve actually looked at the repayment. It’s a massive investment project // to have repayments being done in 20, 30 years, that was quite ambitious.”
((NAT POP Kenya demos file))
((March 1, 2018))
((NARRATOR))
During its construction, critics of the project protested its potential impact on wildlife. A part of this railway...
((End Date))
...cuts through the Nairobi National Park.
((NAT POP))
Over the last decade, some 150 countries have joined the initiative including most African countries.
[[FOR RADIO: David Sacks is a China expert at the Council on Foreign Relations]]
((SKYPE LOGO))
((David Sacks, Council on Foreign Relations))
“Africa’s population is growing significantly, and there’s a need on the continent for more infrastructure // From the Chinese perspective, Africa is desirable because it wants to secure input for its manufacturing sector and when it looks around the world, a lot of these copper, cobalt or other minerals are found in Africa.”
((END SKYPE))
((NARRATOR))
Countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, and Zambia have seen massive Chinese-built infrastructure. But some countries have also been struggling with debt including Zambia - a major Chinese borrower - which was the first country to default on its debt during the pandemic.
((Nats))
The West has been critical of China for lending to poor countries and says it must quickly provide relief to those that ended up with unpayable debts.
((Janet Yellen, US Treasury Secretary))
“Prompt action on debt is in China's interest.”
((NARRATOR))
Sacks notes a lot of countries joined BRI at a time when economic growth was quite robust but that shifted.
((SKYPE LOGO))
((David Sacks, Council on Foreign Relations))
“The first shock was of course the COVID-19 pandemic, which really eviscerated global economic growth but also hit the developing world particularly hard. // the second one was the war in Ukraine. Africa, major importers of food as well as oil, prices for those commodities have gone up tremendously.”
((END SKYPE))
((NARRATOR))
Back at the train station, many of these travelers mostly enjoyed their ride.
[[FOR RADIO: including Dickson Okong’o]]
((Dickson Okong'o, Passenger))
“It's a safe mode of transport that we as Kenyans, we embrace it.
((NARRATOR)) ((Mariama Diallo, VOA News)) ((Standup))
A recent Boston University study finds lending to Africa by China has dropped to the lowest level in two decades. Analysts say while the BRI is here to stay, Beijing may be moving toward smaller investments.
((MARIAMA DIALLO, VOA NEWS, NAIROBI))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Nairobi, Kenya
BylineMariama Diallo
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
