China-Africa cooperation opens up new path for Africa's poverty fight

An exhibitor presents Ethiopian coffee during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo at the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. [Xinhua/Sun Ruibo]

Platforms such as the China International Import Expo, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, and the African Goods Online Shopping Festival have become crucial for African agriculture, enhancing its international visibility.

BEIJING -- Over the years, China has worked diligently to help reduce poverty and hunger in Africa. The country has launched the Program for Strengthening China-Africa Cooperation on Poverty Reduction.

With mechanisms like the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference, and the China-Africa Youth Exchange Program on Poverty Reduction and Development, China has supported local governments, academics, enterprises, and youth and non-governmental organizations in both China and Africa in carrying out various forms of exchange and pragmatic cooperation to end poverty.

TRANSFERRING TECHNOLOGIES

China-Africa cooperation promotes agricultural development in Africa, bringing tangible benefits to local communities. Chinese crop varieties and agricultural technologies have been introduced and adapted in various nations across the continent.

Meanwhile, many Chinese expert teams have been dispatched to Africa to share their knowledge and expertise and help African countries enhance their agricultural production capacity.

Located in the Huye district in the Southern Province of Rwanda, the China-Rwanda Agriculture Technology Demonstration Center (C-RATDC) is one of 24 demonstration centers of Chinese agricultural technology that China has established in Africa over the years.

The center occupies an area of 22 hectares of land and comprises facilities for Juncao technology for mushroom growing, paddy rice farming, water conservation and sericulture-related technologies.

"I have been working here at the center for the past four years and I am able to support and feed my family from the salary I get here. I work in the production of mushroom tubes," 32-year-old Delphine Uwanyirigira, one of the local workers at the center, told Xinhua in an interview.

The mother of eight children said she works passionately to improve her family's wellbeing through mushroom production.

Juncao is a hybrid grass and an important multifunctional agricultural resource developed and used for mushroom farming in China. Invented by Lin Zhanxi from China's Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in the 1980s, Juncao has benefited more than 100 countries, including Rwanda, allowing smallholder farmers to grow mushrooms from dried, chopped grass without cutting down trees and damaging the environment.

Chen Xiaobin (2nd R) prepares mushroom tubes with local farmers at the China-Rwanda Agriculture Technology Demonstration Center in Huye District, Rwanda, Aug. 13, 2024. [Xinhua/Han Xu]

Since 2006, experts from Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University have been working with the Rwandan government on Juncao technology, teaching and promoting Juncao and other agricultural technologies at the C-RATDC.

Official data showed that more than 50 training courses on Juncao mushroom cultivation technology have been organized to date, benefiting more than 35,000 local mushroom farmers.

ENHANCING VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS

China-Africa agricultural cooperation extends beyond the fields, encompassing the entire industrial chain to enhance the processing capacity and added value of African agricultural products, thereby increasing farmers' incomes.

During Cote d'Ivoire's rubber harvesting season, trucks queue up outside the Mainland Group's rare rubber factory in Dabou. The newly harvested rubber will be processed into standard rubber at this Chinese factory before being shipped to China for further processing into rubber products.

Brou Bonaventure, from the Ivorian Interprofessional Fund for Agricultural Research and Advice, said the Chinese factory has boosted local processing capacity and provided fair, stable shipping channels, allowing farmers to expand rubber production.

"The Chinese factory has increased the value of our rubber products. We are grateful to China," Bonaventure exclaimed.

Kenya, a major global exporter of fresh flowers, faced challenges accessing new markets due to high tariffs and complex regulations.

However, China's "green channel" for African agricultural products has expedited inspection and quarantine processes and expanded tariff exemptions, benefiting Kenya's flower industry and other African agricultural products like avocado, citrus, pineapple and coffee.

As of June 2023, 16 agricultural products from 11 African countries have accessed China through the "green channel," with more African specialty commodities entering the Chinese market.

China's trade promotion measures have significantly boosted Africa's exports to China, positioning China as Africa's second-largest destination for agricultural goods.

Platforms such as the China International Import Expo, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, and the African Goods Online Shopping Festival have become crucial for African agriculture, enhancing its international visibility.

"MADE IN AFRICA"

The Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park, located in the eastern district of Mbale, Uganda, was invested in and operated by the private Chinese company Tian Tang Group. The park spans thousands of hectares and encompasses a wide range of sectors, including household appliances, daily beauty products, home fabrics, building materials, medicines, smartphones, televisions and automobiles.

"The development of the Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park is doing wonders. We have seen the foreign direct investment coming through the industrial park, helping us in terms of import substitution. Most of the things we were importing, such as televisions and clothes, are all being produced at the park," said David Bahati, Uganda's minister of state for trade, industry and cooperatives.

People work at Chint Meters & Electrical Uganda Electric Co., Ltd. at the Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park in Mbale, Uganda, on April 5, 2024. [Xinhua/Li Yahui]

Many industrial zones of various types in Africa were built and operated by Chinese enterprises, such as the Diamniadio International Industrial Platform in Senegal, the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Nigeria, and the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone in Egypt. Through these zones, countries can participate more effectively in the global production chain and promote the internationalization of local brands.

Africa's natural resources and labor have enormous potential. Through cooperation with China, Africa has begun to bolster its own production capabilities, while eco-friendly manufacturing and innovative technologies allow African brands to gain a foothold in the global market.

China and Africa are shaping a promising future for "Made in Africa." Cooperation has allowed African countries to develop more advanced technologies, gain professional skills, and access larger markets.

With the determination of both parties and the support of the international community, "Made in Africa" is entering an era of prosperity and sustainable development, contributing to the global economy and improving the lives of the African people.

"Between China and Africa, we respect each other, and we respect our differences. We see these differences as what make us so strong together and why we cooperate with each other," said Victor Gao, vice president of the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based non-governmental think tank.