Leaders of Africa and China are meeting in Beijing to map out China-Africa future development cooperation. Africa has started to implement the second 10-year plan of Agenda 2063 that envisages elevating every AU Member State at least to a Middle-Income Status which makes this year's FOCAC Summit timelier than its predecessors.
The theme of the summit "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future," is well aligned with the second implementation of the AU Agenda 2063. Political and organizational leaders would find the summit very relevant to properly set the stage for Africa's transformation in the next decade.
Africa and China need one another so immensely than ever before. Trade and investment take a central stage in their affinity. Africa needs to boost intra-Africa trade and it also needs to trade among the international community, which requires huge finance and expertise. In the absence of an efficient manufacturing industry and transport networks, for instance, Africa's ambition to transit into middle income status in the second stage of the Agenda 2063 implementation remains farfetched.
The theme of this year's FOCAC is, therefore, very important.
Africa is abundantly blessed with resources and is also provides one of the largest market to trading partners like China. In this regard, China, a country with a rising economy, finds Africa a reliable trading partner. As President Xi Jinping said in his book "XI Jinping: The Governance of China", "We both view the other's development as our own opportunity, and we both seek to promote mutual development and prosperity through closer cooperation." This is the right time to further translate the vision into action.
The trajectory that China takes to extricate over 700 million people form poverty line that was achieved in 2020 is full of lessons for Africa as well. An equivalent size of population in Africa is languishing in poverty today. China not only alleviated poverty, it is still working hard and smart to preclude a downturn in the gains by zooming in on prosperity and high-quality development, including through the rural revitalization strategy with a focus in five key areas- industry development, human capital, culture, ecological environment and local governance. These lend huge lessons for African counterpart, both to detach from poverty and to sustain the gains.
Chinese counterparts are investing and reinvesting their wealth in Africa hugely. They are expanding manufacturing firms across the breadth and length of Africa providing jobs for the unemployed and transferring the needed skills. What is more, Africa's transport network is also expanding due to Chinese investment. Chinese investment within the framework of Belt and Road Initiative (BRL) and its investment in railways, road transport and port development is transforming livelihoods in Africa apart from creating the opportunity to adopt the technological know-how.
Trading among African countries stands at a minimal rate, available data has it that it is kept at around 14 percent. Asian countries, including China, trade around 59 percent of their goods and services among themselves in 2022. By the same year, 68 percent of all European exports were to trading partners on the same continent, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
What is to blame in Africa? Of course, there are myriads of factors that set stumbling blocks to Africa's transformation.
Lack of the required clean energy, finance, technological know-how, and the like could be among the top ones that stand as a colossal challenge to Africa's development. So far, the Chinese supports helped bridge the gap. In his recent article, an economic analyst, Laurence Freeman, summarized the visible impacts of China in expanding critically needed infrastructure in Africa. According to him, China has contributed to African in the "installation of over 25 gig watts of electricity generation capacity, constructing and upgrading over 10,000 kilometers (kms) of railways; 100,000 kms of highways; over 60,000 kms of submarine cables; almost 1,000 bridges; 100 ports; and over 100 health facilities and schools."
Growing cooperation with the Chinese counterpart with a spirit enshrined in the theme of this year's FOCAC catchphrase plays an unprecedented role.
With thriving manufacturing capacity and expansion of transport networks in Africa, there is a likelihood of positively impacting the lives of Africans by creating jobs and making basic supplies available at local markets.
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Most African countries export relays on raw materials. Paradoxically, Africa also imports a range of goods from Asia, Europe, and the Americas. From food to garments and ICT devices, Africa heavily depends on importing goods that originate out of the continent. No one misses that Africa is rich with mineral resources that are essential to manufacture mobile phones, for instance.
The number of mobile phone users will increase in the years to come. Some of the minerals such as tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold as well as indium, tin, silicon, lithium, aluminum, gallium, copper, gold, silver, magnesium, nickel, tantalum, platinum are immensely available in Africa. Hence, the expansion of ICT manufacturing firms will help provide jobs to millions of youths.
Countries such as Ethiopia have made it easy for FDI inflows. Recently, the country has announced the 3rd and 4th turbines of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam started clean energy generation. With the furthering of Africa-China cooperation that will get a new momentum in the summit ahead, Africa's ambition to alleviate poverty becomes achievable.
