Sinofinancialization and urban change in Addis Ababa and Nairobi: an ethnography of private Chinese capital in African cities.

China’s massive infrastructure projects in Africa include ports, telecommunications networks and railways. But China’s presence is also growing as regards its non-state financial operations. Thousands of Chinese entrepreneurs have ventured to Africa, but relatively little is known about this influx. The EU-funded SURGE project will carry out an urban ethnography of the Sino-financialisation of Addis Ababa (manufacturing) and Nairobi (high-value services). The project will take stock of the special economic zones, new towns, technology hubs and master-planned estates. Findings will provide fresh insight into how the urban structure and economic situation have evolved as a result of private Chinese capital. Specifically, SURGE will analyse the diversity of Chinese capital in Africa, and the ways African cities attract and harness these investments.