Stockholm university
Department of Human Geography

Article on precarious work in Sino-African infrastructure investments

Lena Fält, researcher in Human Geography at Stockholm University, has published a noteworthy article in the journal GeoForum. The study sheds light on the complex political and social dynamics surrounding infrastructure projects led by Chinese companies in Ghana.

Workers on construction site in Ghana.
Workers on a construction site in Ghana. Foto: Lena Fält

The aim of Lena Fält's study is to explore the multiscalar political dimensions of labor regimes within Sino-African infrastructure projects and their link to precarious work. Through an in-depth analysis of two case studies in Accra, Ghana, one concerning the construction of a huge interchangeand the other a roadexpansion, she reveals how local, national and global power structures interact to shape the conditions for the workers.

The results show that these complex infrastructure projects generate a particular type of precarious work, characterized by informal employment, weak social security, and limited opportunities for unionizing. Fält explains how actors at different levels - from Chinese company executives to Ghanaian authorities and local trade unions - negotiate and exert power in a complex interplay. 

The article "Multiscalar politics of infrastructural labour: Sino-African labour regimes and precarious work in Ghana" is published in GeoForum and available through Open Access.

Lena Fält is a researcher and lecturer in Human Geography at Stockholm University.

Research subject
Urban Africa
Research project

Last updated: June 2, 2025

Source: Department of Human Geography

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