<description>&lt;p data-start="0" data-end="301"&gt;China is the indispensable actor in Africa's tech ecosystem. From Huawei's telecom infrastructure to Transsion's dominant smartphone brands and Hikvision's surveillance systems, Chinese technologies are now deeply embedded across the continent, often holding leading market share in their sectors.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="303" data-end="626" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node=""&gt;While the prominent role of Chinese technology has delivered significant benefits to African governments and consumers, it's also raised serious concerns among activists and policymakers around data privacy, the expansion of surveillance capabilities, and well-documented misuse by authoritarian-leaning governments.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="303" data-end="626" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node=""&gt;Bulelani Jili, an assistant professor at Georgetown University and a leading scholar on China–Africa technology engagement, joins Eric and Cobus to discuss his latest research exploring the tension between how Chinese technology can drive meaningful empowerment and create potentially dangerous dependencies.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="303" data-end="626" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node=""&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Show Notes: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li data-start="303" data-end="626"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;African Affairs:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href= "https://academic.oup.com/afraf/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/afraf/adag011/8586658?redirectedFrom=fulltext"&gt; Pedagogies of Digital Sovereignty: The Un/Making Of Dependency Through Technical Education in Kenya&lt;/a&gt; by Bulelani Jili&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Join the Discussion:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;X: &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/chinagsproject" target= "_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;@ChinaGSProject&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/eric_olander" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;@eric_olander&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.x.com/stadenesque"&gt;@stadenesque&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href= "https://www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  YouTube: &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at &lt;a href= "https://bsky.app/profile/chinagsproject.bsky.social" target= "_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;@chinagsproject.bsky.social&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Follow CGSP in French and Spanish:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;French: &lt;a href="https://www.projetafriquechine.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;www.projetafriquechine.com&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/afrikchine" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;@AfrikChine&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Spanish: &lt;a href= "https://www.chinalasamericas.com/"&gt;www.chinalasamericas.com&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://x.com/ChinaAmericas"&gt;@ChinaAmericas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Join us on Patreon!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric &amp; Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! &lt;a href= "https://www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The China in Africa Podcast

The China-Global South Project

China, Surveillance, and Africa's Digital Transformation

APR 16, 202654 MIN
The China in Africa Podcast

China, Surveillance, and Africa's Digital Transformation

APR 16, 202654 MIN

Description

China is the indispensable actor in Africa's tech ecosystem. From Huawei's telecom infrastructure to Transsion's dominant smartphone brands and Hikvision's surveillance systems, Chinese technologies are now deeply embedded across the continent, often holding leading market share in their sectors. While the prominent role of Chinese technology has delivered significant benefits to African governments and consumers, it's also raised serious concerns among activists and policymakers around data privacy, the expansion of surveillance capabilities, and well-documented misuse by authoritarian-leaning governments. Bulelani Jili, an assistant professor at Georgetown University and a leading scholar on China–Africa technology engagement, joins Eric and Cobus to discuss his latest research exploring the tension between how Chinese technology can drive meaningful empowerment and create potentially dangerous dependencies. Show Notes: African Affairs: Pedagogies of Digital Sovereignty: The Un/Making Of Dependency Through Technical Education in Kenya by Bulelani Jili Join the Discussion: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social Follow CGSP in French and Spanish: French: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Spanish: www.chinalasamericas.com | @ChinaAmericas Join us on Patreon! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth