A recent visit by a Chinese delegation to Namibia’s Karas region looking into the construction of dams allegedly for irrigation projects might get international reaction in due course. Regional Councillor Fluksman Samuehl welcomed the Chinese delegation and accompanied them to "suitable sites" for such construction projects. An area close to the Fish River was apparently identified, government media reported. The eco-system in southern Namibia is very sensitive and such major pro-jects need careful consideration. An international magazine now reported that China was busy building dams in many African countries apparently without any concerns for the environment.

According to International Rivers Network (IRN), they build dams "no one else wants to touch" like at Tekeze in Ethiopia and Merowe in Sudan.
A Chinese consortium is the lead con-tractor on the Merowe dam project in Sudan and the Tekeze project in Ethiopia. Both have major human rights impacts" according to IRN, as people were forcibly resettled into the desert.

The US based magazine "International Water Power and Dam Con-struction" says that a Chinese joint venture has a US$555m civil
engi-neering contract on Merowe. It reports that it is a joint venture
between China International Water & Electric and China National Water
Resources & Hydropower Engineering Corp. "Funding comes from Arab banks and the China Export Import Bank", the magazine said. The US $225million Tekeze project in Ethiopia will have a 185 m high dam wall, one of the tallest dams in Africa, and would have serious resettlement issues, the magazine criticised.

The government of Congo-Brazzaville entered into an agreement with China
National Machinery and another Chinese firm, Equipment Import & Export Corporation, for the construction of a huge hydropower project, which started in September 2003, the magazine "International Water Power and Dam Construction" wrote. Allegedly, the Export-Import Bank of China is expected to provide the majority of the US$280 million. The cash-strapped government of Congo-Brazzaville is alleged to pay back the investment with oil supplies to China.