BRI vs B3W: Competing Visions for African Development

This event will discuss the comparative strategies in execution between B3W and BRI and the opportunities and challenges Africa faces as a recipient of these initiatives.

The Build Back Better World (B3W) initiative, launched by the G7 in 2021, aspires to promote infrastructure development in the global South, from Africa to Asia. It is strategically conceived to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a large international infrastructure expansion strategy initiated in 2013. 

But there are significant differences between B3W and BRI. The G7’s B3W is conceived to be led by private sector investments, while China’s BRI has been underwritten by China’s state capacity. B3W is a concerted move among the G7 members, and BRI is a Chinese unilateral initiative. B3W will focus on gender equality, green investments and public health. BRI has been primarily aimed at transportation, telecoms and digital – the hard components of modern infrastructure.

Since the announcement of Build Back Better World, concrete financial commitments, investment stakeholders, inter-governmental structures, governments’ roles and responsibilities, project pipelines and beneficiary countries have not yet been clarified. To understand its potential for Africa, this event will discuss the B3W’s motivation and vision, the comparative strategies in execution between B3W and BRI, and the opportunities and challenges Africa faces as a recipient of these initiatives.

Speakers

Daniel Russel

International Security and Diplomacy, Asia Society Policy Institute

Anzetse Were

Senior Economist, FSD Kenya

Professor Gibril Faal

Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa

Ovigwe Eguegu

Policy Analyst at Development Reimagined

Chair

Shirley Yu

Director of the China-Africa Initiative, Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa

ORGANIZER: The Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa

Website: https://www.lse.ac.uk/africa/events/Public-Events/BRI-vs-B3W