Giles Mohan is Professor of International Development at the Open University. His research focuses on the challenges facing Africa he is particularly interested in ‘new’ actors in African development and the threats and opportunities they offer for the continent. This has led to work on structural adjustment, participatory development, diasporas and development, and most recently China’s engagement with Africa. Funded by a series of grants from the Economic and Social Research Council his recent projects have looked at Chinese business migrants in Africa and the impacts of China’s oil investments in Africa. Professor Mohan has also worked with the BBC on TV programmes about development, as well as working with African and international NGOs on various capacity-building and training initiatives.