China has overtaken the U.S. as the foreign power seen as having the biggest positive influence in Africa by young people, according to a survey released on Monday.
A survey conducted by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation found that 76% of 4,507 young Africans across 15 countries named China as a foreign power with a positive influence on their lives, compared with 72% for the U.S. In 2020, when the inaugural study of 18-to-24-year-olds was conducted, 83% of respondents saw the influence of the U.S. as positive while the figure for China was 79%.
The results are further evidence that China is winning the battle against geopolitical rivals for the hearts and minds of Africans. Beijing has plowed money into African infrastructure over the past two decades and supplies the continent with affordable consumer goods ranging from mobile phones and solar panels to shovels and plastics.