https://www.scmp.com/rss/525498/feed Dulue Mbachu is a journalist and writer who has covered Africa for the world’s leading media organisations, including Bloomberg News and The Associated Press. Mbachu, who majored in journalism in the university, is also an author of both fiction and non-fiction books. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Dulue Mbachu,Jevans Nyabiage Dulue Mbachu,Jevans Nyabiage As China’s role in Africa’s economy continues to grow, so do the opportunities for locals that can speak Chinese. The change is partially being driven by the expanding footprint of smaller Chinese companies, which would rather hire locally than bring their own staff from China, and by the increasing role played by African firms in trade. Few of the thousands of Chinese executives, managers and workers who pour into Africa every year are proficient in the languages of their host countries,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352458/ni-hao-new-hire-africas-growing-mandarin-job-boom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352458/ni-hao-new-hire-africas-growing-mandarin-job-boom?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 08:00:07 +0000 Dulue Mbachu Dulue Mbachu As the energy shock unleashed by tensions in the Middle East rippled through Africa, a massive oil refinery in Nigeria’s biggest city of Lagos, owned by Africa’s wealthiest man, came to the rescue. Running at its full capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, the world’s biggest single-train refinery supplied fuel to many African countries that usually relied on imports through the Strait of Hormuz, from Senegal in the west to Mozambique in the southeast. Built at a cost of about US$20 billion,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352256/fuelling-continent-how-chinas-engineering-prowess-built-africas-biggest-oil-refinery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352256/fuelling-continent-how-chinas-engineering-prowess-built-africas-biggest-oil-refinery?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 08:00:14 +0000 Dulue Mbachu Dulue Mbachu In the face of a prolonged US energy blockade of Cuba, solar panels from China have come to the rescue and provided a model of independence from fossil fuels that is resonating globally amid what is being called the worst energy crisis in history. Within the 12 months through February, solar’s share of national power generation in Cuba increased from 6 per cent to more than 20 per cent, according to Microgrid Media, a California-based publication that tracks global renewable energy capacity. “By... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351455/china-poised-reap-rewards-energy-shock-heats-race-renewables?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351455/china-poised-reap-rewards-energy-shock-heats-race-renewables?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 12:00:09 +0000 Dulue Mbachu Dulue Mbachu The world’s two superpowers are waging an information war to influence the minds of Africa’s young and media-savvy demographic, with articles pitched by the United States and China designed to show each other in an unflattering light. On March 31, Africa Defence Forum magazine, a publication of the US Army’s Africa Command, ran an article called: “China’s floating fish factories plunder Guinea Bissau’s resources”. It detailed illegal operations by Chinese fishing trawlers in the West African... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349789/war-words-china-and-us-battle-it-out-loyalty-african-hearts-and-minds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349789/war-words-china-and-us-battle-it-out-loyalty-african-hearts-and-minds?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:00:13 +0000 Dulue Mbachu Dulue Mbachu Two significant decisions within eight days made by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo reflect the current state of its mining industry, where Chinese companies have emerged as preferred partners. On March 19, DR Congo’s Mining Registry announced the cancellation of mining permits held by Australia’s AVZ Minerals for non-payment of surface rights fees. It was the second cancellation in three years suffered by the company in DR Congo after its Manono lithium concession was revoked... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348614/china-gains-ground-dr-congos-mining-sector-australian-firm-loses-permits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348614/china-gains-ground-dr-congos-mining-sector-australian-firm-loses-permits?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:00:14 +0000 Dulue Mbachu Dulue Mbachu The Iran war has cut off a fifth of global oil and LNG supply, handing African producers “a structural advantage” in supplying global markets, although their capacity is hampered by factors beyond the Middle East conflict, according to analysts. “West and North African exports are largely insulated from the conflict, meaning barrels from Nigeria, Angola, Gabon, Algeria and Libya are viewed as lower-risk alternatives,” said Grace Goodrich and Anne-Laure Klein of Energy, Capital & Power, a Cape... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347841/african-producers-may-have-energy-edge-during-iran-war-if-they-can-overcome-hurdles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347841/african-producers-may-have-energy-edge-during-iran-war-if-they-can-overcome-hurdles?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 11:00:08 +0000 Dulue Mbachu Dulue Mbachu The ripples of the US-Israel on Iran are fuelling inflationary pressures across Africa through higher energy and fertiliser prices, threatening a fragile economic recovery. Most of Africa’s 54 countries depend on fuel imports and have experienced sharp increases in fuel prices, driven by disruptions to Middle East exports and the surge in global prices. Most are just getting over the price shocks caused by Russia’s war with Ukraine, which started in 2022 and has hurt many African countries that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347572/iran-war-delivers-new-inflation-stress-african-economies-emerging-older-shocks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347572/iran-war-delivers-new-inflation-stress-african-economies-emerging-older-shocks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:13:26 +0000