Nigeria, Jan. 28 -- China's financial relationship with Africa has entered a new phase, with fresh data showing Beijing has become a net debt collector on the continent after a dramatic $52 billion reversal in flows over the past decade.

New research by ONE Data for the Development Finance Observatory reveals that repayments by African countries now outweigh new Chinese lending, marking a sharp departure from years of heavy infrastructure financing.

The News Chronicle understands that Africa moved from receiving about $30.4 billion in net funding from China between 2010 and 2014 to paying out roughly $22.1 billion over the last five years, as loan repayments accelerated while new credit slowed significantly.

The report shows Chinese l...