Purpose This study aims to examine the quantitative effect and direction of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on economic growth in Africa using a sample of 20 African countries from 2003 to 2012 with data obtained from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the World Bank. Design/methodology/approach The study used panel least squares regression, specifically fixed effect model to examine the quantitative effect of Chinese FDI on economic growth in Africa. The study also used Granger causality test to examine whether a causal relationship exists between economic growth and China’s FDI in Africa. Findings The study finds that a 1 per cent increase in China’s FDI stock in Africa significantly increases Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth by 0.607 per cent, all things being equal. Furthermore, the study finds that a causal link exists between GDP growth in Africa and China’s FDI and the nature of causality is unidirectional. Practical implications The study recommends that to stimulate Chinese FDI in Africa, free visas must be given to Chinese investors coming into the continent, low tariffs should be imposed on inputs and intermediate goods from China and grant of business operation permit to Chinese investors must be made less bureaucratic. Originality/value This research has not been presented to any journal for publication and is originally written by the authors.

This study empirically examines the effect of foreign banks entry on banking efficiency scores, using the truncated regression data envelopment analysis model for 25s banks in Ghana, over a 6‐year period (2010–2015). We decompose the efficiency scores into three (technical, cost, and allocative efficiency), and the results indicate that banks in Ghana are marginally inefficient in operating closer to their optimal capacity. The findings show that the input‐oriented model slacks are needed to push an inefficient bank closer to where an efficient bank is positioned. From the results, an immediate and a short‐term entry of foreign banks have a consistent negative relationship with both technical‐ and cost‐efficiency scores whereas long‐term entry of foreign banks shows an inconsistent relationship with the three banking efficiency scores. Thus, the drive towards a positive impact of foreign banks entry on the three efficiency scores is dependent on the form of banking efficiency considered and the interaction term between competitive banking environment (competition) and foreign banks' entry. The study suggests that policymakers and managers in emerging markets should improve on their bank efficiencies in both a competitive banking environment and during periods of foreign bank entry. Moreover, managers of banks should make adjustment to their input resources in order to cope with new banking technologies from foreign bank entry—thereby improving banking efficiencies.