Afrewatch International published its comparative study across five countries including Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Zambia and Zimbabwe. on the structuring and implementation of the China’s Resources-for-Infrastructure (R4I) Model, which examined its contributions and constraint to the Transformational development of these countries.

R4I models link infrastructure financing and delivery to future resource revenues or collateralised mineral concessions. Their contemporary resurgence is closely associated with China’s expanding role in resource-rich countries’ infrastructure and extractive sectors within the framework of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In some African countries, these partnership model intensified from the mid 1990s, driven by a convergence of interests with the governments seeking flexible, large-scale infrastructure finance, while China aims to secure long-term access to strategic minerals critical for industrial upgrading and the global energy transition. The accelerating global push toward decarbonisation has further elevated the importance of R4I arrangements, as demand for transition minerals such as lithium, cobalt, copper, and nickel rises sharply.  The report illustrates both the opportunities and risks associated with R4I in the context where China is shifting its policy engagement with resource-rich countries from mega project to small-but-built for purpose projects. Download full report here.

Afrewatch International and Afrewatch Partner is organising a high-level donor and civil society (CSOs) tour from April 20-24, 2026.  As Afrewatch International marks its transition into a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) organization, this tour is a key moment in our 2026 U.S. engagement. As part of the tour, a donor and CSO convening for a focused dialogue on advancing accountable governance, natural resource transparency, and community-centered development in the Democratic Republic of Congo and beyond.

The session will introduce Afrewatch international work, share field-based insights, and create space for open exchange on priorities, challenges, opportunities for transformational partnerships and collaboration.

Momentum is building towards an even cleaner electric vehicle (EV), which doesn’t just run on electricity but is built with circular practices and decarbonized materials, while minimizing negative impacts on the environment, workers and communities, according to a scorecard of 18 global automakers.

The fourth edition of the Lead the Charge Auto Supply Chain Leaderboard, which ranks global automakers based on their efforts to build equitable, sustainable, and fossil-free supply chains for electric vehicles, shows a majority of automakers are now taking important initial steps to clean up their supply chains. Download full article here.

From Mega China’s Resource-for-Infrastructure (R4I) Projects to “Small Yet Beautiful” project: What lessons for mineral-rich countries?

China’s Resource-for-Infrastructure (R4I) model has reshaped infrastructure delivery across Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Zambia, and Zimbabwe—fast-tracking roads, dams, airports, and power plants financed through future resource exports.

What lessons can be drawn from capital-intensive R4I mega-projects, amidst China’s recalibration of its overseas infrastructure model under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), shifting away from massive, high-debt mega-projects toward smaller, more targeted, and “built-for-purpose” initiatives—often described as “small yet beautiful”

What does this transition mean for resource-rich and developing countries? Does it address the governance, fiscal, and environmental challenges revealed by earlier R4I models—or simply repackage them?

‼️  Afrewatch International will be joined by speakers from Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Zambia and Zimbabwe for this timely discussion unpacking five major findings in Africa and what they reveal about the future of China’s overseas infrastructure engagement. ‼️

📅: 25 March 2026

🕒: 7am PST / 10am EST / 3PM GMT / 5PM WAT

🔗: https://tinyurl.com/2w54fta2