Opportunity Knocks in Africa Interdisciplinary Investigation of Chinas Influence on the Digital Infrastructure and Workforce in West Africa for Identifying Future US Foreign Policy Initiatives
Abstract
African countries that have participated in China#s BRI are recognizing that the benefits of these initiatives do not outweigh the costs. Unfortunately, China is not interested in authentically improving the economic stability of the countries it invests in; rather the investments were made only to exploit the natural resources or sensitive Governmental data of a region to gain a strategic advantage over its adversaries. Western countries like the United States must be able to provide a safe alternative to African countries wishing to improve the internal stability of their country and further collaborations with the U.S. This proposal seeks to study the Chinese Digital Silk Road and how it is altering the culture, behaviors, and local Governments of West African Countries that have entered agreements with China. Specifically, this proposal will focus on two sub-themes of study within the Digital Silk Road initiative. These themes are digital infrastructure and the workforce: (a) The digital infrastructure, in this case, is defined by the software, AI, and connected network technologies that are being deployed by African Governments or corporations (b) the workforce includes the types of workers that are being employed in regions of West Africa such as the Nigerian region and their backgrounds thatimpact their career. This workforce can also be described as their skills, education or training, and movement for work (i.e., how far did they travel to obtain the job they hold). The primary goal of this research is to create AI technologies that can learn fromexisting data (from diverse sources and platforms) surrounding Chinese investment in the digital infrastructure of West African countries like Nigeria. Additionally, it is expected that ethnographic studies involving focus groups and observations will be conducted in at least one West African country to aid in understanding the positive and negative effects of China#s influence on the country. These influences may help to address relevant policy gaps in West Africa and potential #opportunity zones# for the United States# investment and collaboration. Additionally, this research may help to reveal strategic ways to overcome the negative effects of Chinese influence and investment on African countries through alternative collaboration with the US. Finally, it is expected that results of this research may help to lead towards the long-term strategy of foreign policy in Africa.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 13, 2025
- Source ID
- N000142512073
Entities
People
- Gloria Washington
Organizations
- Howard University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy