A leading voice in African political economy has issued a stark warning to the continent's leadership, demanding a pivot toward industrial self-reliance or risking being permanently relegated to a "dumping ground" for Chinese-manufactured goods.

Prof. Lloyd G. Adu Amoah, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Ghana, delivered the caution during an interview with Citi News on the sidelines of the prestigious JB Danquah Memorial Lecture.

Speaking at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, Prof. Amoah’s remarks underscored a growing anxiety that the current Africa–China dynamic may be veering away from mutual partnership toward a lopsided relationship of "peonage and pawnage."

The lecture, themed “Africa–China Relations: Partnerships, Peonage, Pawnage and Possibilities?”, served as a backdrop for Prof. Amoah to dissect the fragility of Africa’s manufacturing sector. He argued that while Chinese products dominate local stalls from Accra to Nairobi, African industrialisation remains dangerously stunted.

For the professor, the burden of proof lies with Beijing to demonstrate that its intentions are truly collaborative rather than extractive or exploitative.

“China must really convince us in Africa that it wants to be a partner and in palpable terms. The African leadership as well must understand that in engaging China, the question at stake is the interest of the masses of people of Africa,” Prof. Amoah asserted.

Prof. Amoah’s critique comes at a time of global economic upheaval. With shifting political tides in the United States and Europe, referred to by the academic as a "pulverisation" of the world’s political economy, he noted that Africa must be strategic about its future realities.

He warned that if African leaders fail to prioritise their citizens' interests, the continent will fail to capitalise on the vacuum left by traditional Western powers, essentially swapping one form of dependency for another.

“For example, Africa cannot just be a dumping ground for Chinese manufacturers. With the lecture, the attempt is to present a view that looks into the future where there will be new realities even when the world’s political economy is undergoing all kinds of pulverisation with events in the US and Europe,” he explained.

The use of the word "pawnage" in the lecture theme highlights a specific fear amongst scholars: that African infrastructure and resources are being used as collateral for Chinese loans that the continent may struggle to repay. Prof. Amoah urged a shift toward "Possibilities"—a future where Africa engages China from a position of industrial strength rather than as a passive recipient of cheap imports.

Key Concerns Raised:

• Weak Industrial Base: African manufacturing cannot compete with the sheer volume of low-cost Chinese imports.
• Leadership Accountability: A call for African negotiators to put the "masses" ahead of elite interests.
• Economic Sovereignty: Avoiding the transition from Western colonial influence to an Eastern economic hegemony.

As the JB Danquah Memorial Lecture concludes, the message for the 2026 fiscal year is clear: Africa's survival in the new global order depends on its ability to manufacture its own future, rather than simply consuming one made in China.