By Ehizuelen Michael Mitchell Omoruyi |
Updated: 2018-09-04 14:59
Ehizuelen Michael Mitchell Omoruyi
The recent roadmap for China-Africa cooperation in the new era is the one President Xi Jinping titled “Walk together towards Prosperity.” Xi’s speech came at an opportune time as China marks its four decades of reform and opening-up policy, a landmark program that assisted the nation to become the leading champion in development among emerging economies.
China looks forward to a world of greater openness and less isolation, as a result of the fact that what China has learned in its four decades of reform and opening-up is that prosperity only comes to those who embrace the world with open arms.
Speaking of open arms, African economies stand ready to seek synergies with China to build a road of high-quality development appropriate to national conditions, inclusive and beneficial for both parties. This is due to the fact that both China and Africa share a similar dream for development and China is willing to work with the African people to build China-Africa cooperation as a role model for South-South cooperation. China’s outreach to Africa aims to build trade, investment and political cooperation with a continent frequently seen as overlooked by the United States and other Western economies.
In a world facing challenges from trade protectionism and unilateralism, the Belt and Road Initiative can act as a vital vehicle that promotes regional connectivity which in turn will help build closer China-Africa cooperation with a shared future as well as help to expand regional markets. This will be a priority in the next phase of China-Africa cooperation. Speaking of priority, African leaders’ priority should be on how they take advantage of this opportunity and continue to strategize to leverage on the BRI to reverse Africa’s anti-industrialization process due to their failed adjustment guided by Western “structured reforms” in the 1980s.
As a result, huge opportunities exist for Africa to secure Chinese financing for its infrastructure development to aid Africa’s anti-industrialization and intra-continental trade which will help facilitate the newly signed African Continental Free Trade Area. The final goal is to accelerate technology transfer, job creation and speed up Africa’s comprehensive transformation.
Speaking of transformation in line with investment, China’s investment in Africa has never had political conditions attached. This is because China’s preference for dialogue and partnership over confrontation and alliance has created greater resonance, unlike the West’s way of investment, which for decades has deprived Africa of real economic independence. When the West came to the continent, they developed a lot of infrastructure leading out of the continent; China has done the reverse by leading infrastructure inside, inland of Africa. As such, BRI with Africa development, set a new path for a higher level of China-Africa cooperation that will help reshape Sino-African cooperation by supporting connectivity in and between economies in the continent of Africa.
Chinese firms have been rapidly increasing their business footprint in Africa, and they are a significant source of foreign direct investment to the continent. An essential factor in guaranteeing that these investments deliver on economic and social returns for both Africa and China hinges on closing the skills gap. Capacity building among local technicians along with supervisory expertise and skills, will be integral for the long-term sustainability of large infrastructure projects and the manufacturing sector in the continent. The long-term horizons that railway or hydropower projects need to be economically viable makes local ownership and technical capacity important. So, the encouragement of firms to take more social responsibility, and focus on long-term results is a way of showing a shift from a charity-driven relationship to a “sharity-driven” cooperation, where knowledge sharing plays a significant role in actualizing Xi’s vision of walking together towards shared prosperity for mankind.
Ehizuelen Michael Mitchell Omoruyi is executive director of the Center for Nigerian Studies at the Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University. The author contributed this article to China Watch exclusively. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of China Watch.
All rights reserved. Copying or sharing of any content for other than personal use is prohibited without prior written permission.
The recent roadmap for China-Africa cooperation in the new era is the one President Xi Jinping titled “Walk together towards Prosperity.” Xi’s speech came at an opportune time as China marks its four decades of reform and opening-up policy, a landmark program that assisted the nation to become the leading champion in development among emerging economies.
China looks forward to a world of greater openness and less isolation, as a result of the fact that what China has learned in its four decades of reform and opening-up is that prosperity only comes to those who embrace the world with open arms.
Speaking of open arms, African economies stand ready to seek synergies with China to build a road of high-quality development appropriate to national conditions, inclusive and beneficial for both parties. This is due to the fact that both China and Africa share a similar dream for development and China is willing to work with the African people to build China-Africa cooperation as a role model for South-South cooperation. China’s outreach to Africa aims to build trade, investment and political cooperation with a continent frequently seen as overlooked by the United States and other Western economies.
In a world facing challenges from trade protectionism and unilateralism, the Belt and Road Initiative can act as a vital vehicle that promotes regional connectivity which in turn will help build closer China-Africa cooperation with a shared future as well as help to expand regional markets. This will be a priority in the next phase of China-Africa cooperation. Speaking of priority, African leaders’ priority should be on how they take advantage of this opportunity and continue to strategize to leverage on the BRI to reverse Africa’s anti-industrialization process due to their failed adjustment guided by Western “structured reforms” in the 1980s.
As a result, huge opportunities exist for Africa to secure Chinese financing for its infrastructure development to aid Africa’s anti-industrialization and intra-continental trade which will help facilitate the newly signed African Continental Free Trade Area. The final goal is to accelerate technology transfer, job creation and speed up Africa’s comprehensive transformation.
Speaking of transformation in line with investment, China’s investment in Africa has never had political conditions attached. This is because China’s preference for dialogue and partnership over confrontation and alliance has created greater resonance, unlike the West’s way of investment, which for decades has deprived Africa of real economic independence. When the West came to the continent, they developed a lot of infrastructure leading out of the continent; China has done the reverse by leading infrastructure inside, inland of Africa. As such, BRI with Africa development, set a new path for a higher level of China-Africa cooperation that will help reshape Sino-African cooperation by supporting connectivity in and between economies in the continent of Africa.
Chinese firms have been rapidly increasing their business footprint in Africa, and they are a significant source of foreign direct investment to the continent. An essential factor in guaranteeing that these investments deliver on economic and social returns for both Africa and China hinges on closing the skills gap. Capacity building among local technicians along with supervisory expertise and skills, will be integral for the long-term sustainability of large infrastructure projects and the manufacturing sector in the continent. The long-term horizons that railway or hydropower projects need to be economically viable makes local ownership and technical capacity important. So, the encouragement of firms to take more social responsibility, and focus on long-term results is a way of showing a shift from a charity-driven relationship to a “sharity-driven” cooperation, where knowledge sharing plays a significant role in actualizing Xi’s vision of walking together towards shared prosperity for mankind.
Ehizuelen Michael Mitchell Omoruyi is executive director of the Center for Nigerian Studies at the Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University. The author contributed this article to China Watch exclusively. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of China Watch.
All rights reserved. Copying or sharing of any content for other than personal use is prohibited without prior written permission.
