Abstract: Despite the many challenges facing African economic development, the growth trend continues. With the increasing power demands in various countries, the construction of power infrastructure in Africa is full of opportunities. Africa is rich in hydropower resources with huge development potential, and 80% of the potential are concentrated in the Zambezi, Congo, Nile and Niger River basins. Under the One Belt and One Road initiative, a large number of Chinese enterprises have gone global to invest in hydropower projects in Africa and promote China-Africa cooperation in power sector. This paper summarizes the hydropower resources and development levels of the four major river basins through a large amount of data and information, and discusses the key completed and planned hydropower projects in these basins with details. Finally, we examine in depth the major problems and challenges facing Chinese enterprises in the development of hydropower projects in Africa, and offer corresponding suggestions from four aspects: strategic planning, cooperation model, risk prevention, and personnel training.

Key words: Africa, hydropower development, Chinese enterprise, problem and challenge, suggestion