Governments across major African cities are adopting Chinese-funded surveillance technologies to monitor public spaces and manage crime. The Institute of Development Studies notes that Chinese banks are increasing funding for 'smart city' infrastructure projects.

Across major African cities such as Nairobi, Lusaka, and Abuja, governments are using surveillance technologies and credit lines from China to monitor public spaces and curb crime, a new survey shows. The UK-based Institute of Development Studies (IDS) said Chinese banks were increasingly funding African governments to build and maintain digital infrastructure – including surveillance cameras and command and control centres – under the “safe city” project, also known as “smart city”, which is...