Media framing of the belt and road initiative in Africa: Content analysis of Nation media newspaper in Kenya

This paper discusses the coverage of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by Nation Media and the perceived economic effects of BRI in Kenya between the year 2013 and 2024. Framing theory serves as the theoretical foundation of this study due to its capacity to help media organizations structure meaning around complex global developments, such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Using a mixed-methods approach, a content analysis of 178 newspaper articles from Nation Media Publications (The EastAfrican, Daily Nation, Business Daily Africa, Daily Monitor, and The Citizen) was conducted using a customized thematic and sentiment analysis designed to address the research objectives. The sentiment analysis revealed 69.1% of the total coverage is framed as positive, 23.2% negative, and 7.7% neutral. Across these economic subthemes: Business & Industry, Debt, Digital Economy, Economic Growth & Development, Finance & Banking, Fiscal & Monetary Policy, Infrastructure Development, Labor & Employment, Poverty & Wealth Distribution, Resources & Sustainability, and Trade & Commerce, the analysis demonstrates that the BRI is portrayed as beneficial to Kenya, supporting it in the attainment of its vision 2030 development objectives, and Kenya is positioned as a strategic partner, and not a passive recipient of Chinese investment. The research demonstrates that improved computational approaches that integrate thematic analysis and sentiment analysis were more insightful with respect to media framing. The study also suggests that the methodological framework could be adapted to comparative studies across African countries to examine how cultural, social, economic and political factors influence framing of global infrastructure development projects.