PHD-Department of History, Archaeology and Political Studies

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Browsing PHD-Department of History, Archaeology and Political Studies by Subject "Chinese Special Economic Zone"

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    Chinese Special Economic Zone and Influence on Industrial Development in Nigeria, 1971-2014.
    (Kenyatta University, 2023-09) Akuandna, Iliya Felix; Wasonga O. Joseph; Edwin A. Gimode
    ABSTRACT The study investigates the influence of the Chinese Special Economic Zone and brings into question the prospects for industrial development in Nigeria. Over the years (1971–2014), Nigeria and China witnessed robust political and economic engagement, leading to the deployment of the Chinese-prescribed development model. These highlights are made against the background of China's growing influence in Africa, as well as the realities of the post-SAP era that shaped and defined the Nigeria-China bilateral relationship. To achieve the aim of this study, I examine the determining evolutionary development of Chinese economic zones for industrial development in Nigeria. The study also examines the practice of zone-defining actors and the nature of the economic zones in Nigeria. These highlights defined the zone's development as a product of Chinese-African policy and economic diplomacy. The study is guided by Modernization Theory and World Systems Theory as the appropriate lenses to study the Chinese special zone model in Nigeria. It offers a new perspective on interrogating the role and influence of the Chinese economic zone on industrial development in an African context. The study approaches the Chinese economic zones model based on certain assumptions in Africa for the purposes of attracting large-scale FDI projects for industrial growth and development. This is particularly the case in Africa, where economic development-driven models have produced few sustainable outcomes because the context-specific conditions and elements in these countries have been ignored. This study argues that the CSEZ projects in Nigeria are conceived as industrial models that operate on certain assumptions found in industrial production structures. The study used descriptive research design and employed a qualitative research approach. Further, the study made use of both primary and secondary sources of data. Sampling was done using purposive and snowballing techniques. The primary sources included key informants for in-depth interviews, document analysis, and direct observation. Secondary sources that were utilized comprised of books, journal articles, newspapers, and internet sources. The data that was gathered in this study was analyzed using contextual analysis and thematic analysis methods. The general objective of the study was to examine the Chinese special economic zone and its influence on industrial development in Nigeria. This study's findings reveal that the above assumptions are not accurate. The economic zones are a product of China’s economic diplomacy to protect its economic interests. The Chinese economic zone project, as it is currently conceived and practiced in Nigeria, is ill-suited to support industrial growth and development. This is because the role of the Nigerian state and its agencies are weak in comparative terms between Nigeria and China. This weakness led to the failure to customize the economic zone model with the industrial policy objective. This erodes the developmental prospects of the Chinese special economic zones in Nigeria. The study demonstrates that the Chinese economic zone practice entangled Nigeria and internationalized China’s economic objectives.