Abstract
Unlike other developmental relationships, BRI is the most promising icon in transforming the construction industry and built environment in Africa; the infrastructure developments like highways, bridges, skyscrapers, and aviation take in advanced construction technologies, methods, and skills. However, the technological capability of Chinese construction firms is not transferred in the highest capacity to the host countries. Nevertheless, the main focus is on delivering modern railways, highways, and skyscrapers. Thus, this research aimed to propose an adaptable technology transfer model by identifying the theoretical concepts in the body of knowledge, exploring the prior technology transfer models and the best experiences. The findings indicated that the BRI inclusive countries in Africa benefit from infrastructure development with an investment amount of more than US$33 billion with potential technology spillovers, but in an unplanned, and not best suited to their conditions because of the lack of a single-country-based technology, transfer model ahead of project implementation. Using a systems thinking approach and a causal loop diagram tool, the authors created a conceptual model to guide the Africa’s construction technology transfer through BRI. The research also examined case study projects in Ethiopia to assert the new model’s practicability over the existing processes. Moreover, the university–industry linkage structures, can facilitate the process through R&D and innovation in the whole project life cycle.
Highlights
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has had a progressively significant impact on infrastructure development and economic growth in Africa
Since the lack of technology has been one of the severe bottlenecks in African industrialization, technology transfer (TT), or knowledge sharing through the BRI, is imperative
When we look at the project implementation, the project mainly focused on the training package, the TT in the country-level performance depended on the pilot project
Summary
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has had a progressively significant impact on infrastructure development and economic growth in Africa. Even though the China–Africa relationship existed decades ago, the BRI improved connectivity and cooperation on a transcontinental scale [1]. The initiative promotes infrastructure construction, trade, and investment, among other activities, between China and those countries along the Belt and Road [2,3]. It added value in stimulating Africa’s construction industry through job creation, investment, and technology [4,5]. China’s economy prioritizes making buildings smarter, improving sustainability using digital technologies [6]. According to Dodge Data and Analytics, China ranked among the top in advanced construction technology implementations such as BIM adopter nations between 2015 and 2017 [7]
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