Can China Influence African Countries?

Literature and practical example presenting supply chain as a development factor is very rich. Recently, two concepts have emerged:Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) and Supply Chain Integration (SCI). GSCM contributes to the idea that taking environmental factors into account may contribute to the decrease of costs. SCI focuses on the relationship between suppliers and buyers based on the assumption that the closer suppliers and buyers work together, the more efficient they are and the better it is for the economic performance of companies. The tremendously fast economic growth of China is a remarkable example for other developing countries. China has been very close to African countries since the50’s for political and ideological reasons. Nowadays, more and more Chinese companies are settling in all over the continent, sharing their knowledge and inviting Chinese managers to work in these new subsidiaries or start-ups. Therefore, Chinese companies may influence African companies for two reasons:firstly, because Chinese companies will need efficient infrastructure and secondly, because greater collaboration between Chinese and African managers will take place.The aim of this thesis is to investigate whether Chinese companies may support the development of African countries’supply chain. We don’t pretend that the Chinese model should be replicated identically. We will point out three characteristics:strong political institution; relationship between suppliers and buyers; an efficient information system. Indeed, China, as a huge country, beneficiates from a powerful national and local government that manages to coordinate supply chain’s strategies. African countries already established regional institutions to implement their different development projects. For Chinese companies, relationship between people and companies is a very important concept, summarized in the term "Guanxi". African countries suffer from a political and legal deficit. Therefore, the development of partnerships could compensate this lack. When speaking about infrastructure, we often think of transportation but we should not forget communication system. As supply chain becomes more and more complex due to the development of a country, information transmission becomes essential.