AU agency welcomes China's support for Africa's agriculture

HARARE, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- A specialized agency of the African Union that focuses on capacity building has welcomed China's pledge to support Africa in further developing its agriculture and addressing the effects of climate change.

At the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Beijing last week, China promised to expand its cooperation with Africa and implement 10 partnership actions over the next three years.

In the agricultural sector, China pledged to support Africa's further development through various initiatives, including the construction of standardized agricultural demonstration centers, the deployment of Chinese agricultural experts, and the creation of a China-Africa agricultural scientific and technological innovation alliance.

Mamadou Biteye, executive secretary of the Harare-based African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), told Xinhua in a recent interview that Africa would benefit immensely from the knowledge, innovation, and expertise of Chinese agricultural experts.

"China is a very important partner to Africa especially as we come out of the FOCAC Summit and some important announcements have been made. This includes capacity building through the deployment of Chinese experts to support agriculture productivity in Africa," Biteye said.

China's continued support for Africa's infrastructure development, particularly climate change-related and resilient infrastructure, is crucial to Africa's efforts to modernize and combat climate change, he added.

"China can share its experiences in agricultural development, including research on developing new varieties of crops, such as drought-resistant rice and other food crops, which can adapt well and provide high yields to support the growth of Africa's agriculture sector," Biteye said. He added that increased Chinese support in agriculture could help Africa reduce its food import bill and enable the continent to achieve food sovereignty.

"Innovation and knowledge sharing are extremely important, and I believe these are critical areas where China can play a leading role in Africa," he said.

Biteye's comments came as the ACBF is set to hold its 10th Africa Think Tank Summit, which will explore strategies for sustainable climate financing in Africa from Oct. 8 to Oct. 11 in Abidjan, the largest city in Cote d'Ivoire.

There is a need for institutional and policy strengthening in Africa to ensure that the continent can effectively utilize climate financing resources, Biteye said.