On December 16, 2024, Ms. Hannah Ryder, Founder and CEO of Development Reimagined, gave a lecture to students enrolled in the Creative and Innovative Policy Analysis for Decision-Making Elites course required for the Tsinghua-Johns Hopkins SAIS Dual Master’s Degree in Global Politics and Economics (TSDM). She engaged the program’s scholars in an in-depth discussion on international development and policy consulting.
Ms. Hannah Ryder is a renowned expert in the field of international development. She served as a diplomat for over 20 years and was recognized in 2021 as one of the 100 most influential Africans. Furthermore, Hannah is a non-resident Senior Associate for the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) in the United States and has maintained long-term cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Beijing Office.
In her lecture, Hannah shared her motivations for establishing Development Reimagined and specializing in the China-Africa relationship. The company aims to fill the gap in opportunity for a stronger relationship between African countries and China by creating more understanding of Chinese and African perspectives, China’s development path, and partnership potential. Since its establishment in 2018, Development Reimagined has expanded globally with offices in Beijing, Nairobi, and London. The company offers diverse services to clients, including research reports, facilitating dialogues, trade assistance, and investment guidance, focusing primarily on China-Africa cooperation, development finance, trade, climate action, and the decolonization of development. The company strives to achieve sustainable development goals in every project and ensure African countries are benefitting.
The Current and Future State of China-Africa Technology Cooperation
During the Q&A session, Hannah engaged with faculty and students in a deep discussion about China-Africa technology cooperation. She pointed out that while some Chinese companies have set up smartphone factories in Africa, overall, China’s technological investments in Africa remain limited. She believes that China and Africa share many similarities in their digital paths and that Africa can leverage China’s experiences to accelerate its own technological progress. Hannah also mentioned that most Chinese companies’ technological investments in Africa remain concentrated in hardware sales, with limited involvement in local hiring and technology transfer. In contrast, fintech companies from Western countries are more active in their African investments, especially in the financial services sector. She predicted that in the coming years, with the introduction of more e-commerce platforms and payment systems, digital cooperation between China and Africa will create significant breakthroughs.
Regional Disparities within Africa
Regarding regional disparities within Africa, Hannah emphasized that although China often mentions strategic plans for the entire African continent in official statements, in practice, the Chinese government and companies tend to adjust their approaches based on the specific circumstances of individual countries. Angola, for example, is one of China’s largest borrowing countries, while South Africa is China’s largest trading partner in Africa. Therefore, it is crucial to tailor solutions to the needs of different countries. In recent years, more and more African countries have begun to form their own strategies for engaging with China, signaling that they are increasingly valuing bilateral relations with China.
The Values and Mission of Development Reimagined
Finally, Hannah discussed the values and mission upheld by Development Reimagined. She stressed that the company is not just profit-driven but, more importantly, aims to promote mutual understanding and joint development between Africa and China through its professional services. To this end, the company always adheres to principles of transparency and fairness and strives to provide clients with high-quality research and recommendations.
At the end of the lecture, faculty and students took a group photo with Hannah and expressed their heartfelt appreciation for her insight. The students in attendance said they gained a lot from the lecture and now had a clearer direction for their future studies and career development. They look forward to more opportunities for exchange in the future and hope to contribute to the progress of international development and cooperation.