If you weren’t aware of just how prolific Chinese investment is in Africa, wait until you see these startling images of what’s going on in Angola. Not far from Angola’s capital city of Luanda, is Nova Cidade de Kilamba. A residential development of 750 eight-story apartment buildings, a dozen schools, and more than 100 retail units.

Nova Cidade de Kilamba is a brand-new mixed residential development of 750 eight-storey apartment buildings, a dozen schools and more than 100 retail units that’s designed to house up to half a million people when complete.

State-owned China International Trust and Investment Corporation (CITIC) has built it in less than three years, at a reported cost of $3,5 billion.

The development covers a reported 50 square kilometres and according to the BBC, apartments at Kilamba “are being advertised online costing between $120 000 and $200 000 – well out of reach of the estimated two-thirds of Angolans who live on less than $2 a day.”

On a recent trip back to Luanda, the BBC’s former Angola correspondent Louise Redvers discovered that most of the buildings currently lie empty, as this footage she recorded shows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9u8Qr_IUSc

The communists are boytjies with as many as 40 African states, including some of the more strategic ones like us, where they agreed to invest approximately R19 billion in investment projects around the country last year. Tanzania also has a nice vibe going on. Have a read here, and here.

You’re also forgiven if you didn’t know that Angola’s businesses beat most of Europe to 4G mobile services, courtesy of Chinese phone giant, ZTE, of course.

Here are some images detailing the development from above:

The Chinese are good at building ghost towns, so let’s hope those Kilamba prices come down a bit, so real Angolans can have somewhere to live.

[Sources: BBC, Business Insider]