This is a guest post by Edwin Nfor, a doctoral student in University of Jyväskylä.
The study “(Pragmatic) collaboration for progress or threat to autonomy? African news discourses about Chinese technology in Nigeria and Ghana” by Dennis Nguyen , Bei Wang and Bruce Mutsvairo from the Utrecht University, The Netherlands studied the multifaceted portrayal of China in African media, particularly its role in digital technology development.
It emphasizes the importance of understanding African perspectives on Chinese technology initiatives and advocates for empirical studies in this area. The African media landscape, diverse and evolving, increasingly values press freedom and independent voices, influenced by rapid political and economic changes across the continent.
Methodologically, the study adopts a critical comparative view of journalistic traditions in media discourse analysis. It considers news media discourses as aggregators of communication on specific topics and explores the concept of “discourse cultures,” which connect cultural patterns with social practices and political norms, shaping media discourses within specific socio-cultural and political frameworks.
An Afrocentric approach is advocated for analyzing technology discourses in African media, acknowledging Africans as active participants and challenging misrepresentations. The study focuses on news framing analysis, examining how African media portray China’s technological role, the associated benefits and risks, and the dominant actors in these discourses.
Empirical analysis is conducted on Nigerian and Ghanaian news media, revealing various emphasis frames in China-related technology coverage. Topics such as developmental collaboration, cybersecurity, education initiatives, and geopolitical competition with the West are prominent. Huawei emerges as a significant actor, particularly in education and technology transfer initiatives.
The sentiment in technology news about China is predominantly positive, although nuances exist. The coverage fluctuates over time, influenced by geopolitical events and domestic developments. Risks and ethical challenges of digital technology are addressed to a limited extent, with cybersecurity concerns being the most discussed issue.
Key actors in media discourses include local politicians, governmental organizations, and foreign technology companies, with Huawei being the most frequently mentioned. The analysis underscores the complexity of African perspectives on China’s technological involvement, with nuanced views shaped by cultural, political, and economic factors.
The findings suggest that Nigerian and Ghanaian news media offer a multifaceted view of China and digital technology, fluctuating between local, regional, and global trajectories. China is acknowledged as a vital technology power, setting global trends and providing alternatives to Western innovation, with Huawei playing multiple roles in technology transfer, education, development, and commerce across Africa.
However, the perception of China is not exclusively positive, with coverage touching upon allegations of espionage, clashes with Western governments, and concerns of dependence on Chinese investments as a risk to autonomy.
The study suggests that Ghanaian news tends to hold a more positive stance on collaboration with China, possibly influenced by News Ghana’s policy of amplifying Chinese perspectives for Ghanaian audiences. In contrast, the sampled Nigerian news appears more critical, reflecting an inherent ambiguity in assessments: China is welcomed for specific technological development projects but viewed critically regarding loans and debt, positioning the country simultaneously as an inspiration, a partner, and a potential risk.
The findings also indicate that most benefits of Sino-African collaborations are linked to economic growth and developmental progress, with ICT, AI, and other emerging digital technology trends considered key components in addressing inequality, raising living standards, and creating wealth. However, risks and ethical challenges of digital technology are rarely discussed, with cybersecurity issues, privacy risks, and disinformation through digital media being the most mentioned concerns.
Overall, the study provides valuable insights into African news discourses on China’s technology role, highlighting the nuanced and complex nature of African perspectives. It emphasizes the importance of considering contextual differences and challenges Eurocentric or Sinocentric analyses. It suggests that could expand the sample of African news outlets, incorporate ethnographic field research, and employ fine-grained framing analysis for a comprehensive understanding of African media discourses on Chinese technology initiatives.
The article “(Pragmatic) collaboration for progress or threat to autonomy? African news discourses about Chinese technology in Nigeria and Ghana” by Dennis Nguyen , Bei Wang and Bruce Mutsvairo is in Global Media and China, (open access).
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