Over the past decade, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – a series of development and investment projects across Central Asia, Africa, and South America – has extended more than $182 billion in loans to 49 African countries, building roads, railways, ports, and power facilities with few governance conditions attached. These finance projects have positioned China as Africa’s largest lender, with 30 of 49 African countries now on interest payments than on public health.

This debt has become a geopolitical exploit for China, especially in regions like the Sahel where security and economic vulnerabilities are increasingly urgent. But it also presents a critical opening for the U.S. to demonstrate a different approach that prioritizes accountability, partnership, and sustainable economic growth.