A specialized agency of the African Union focused on capacity development has welcomed China's commitment to support Africa in further developing its agriculture and addressing the effects of climate change.
At the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit held in Beijing, China pledged to expand its cooperation with Africa and implement 10 partnership actions over the next three years.
China has pledged to support Africa's further development in the agricultural sector through various initiatives, including the construction of standardized agricultural demonstration centers.
The deployment of Chinese agricultural experts and the creation of a China-Africa alliance for agricultural scientific and technological innovation would also be considered.
The executive secretary of the Harare-based African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), Mamadou Biteye, said Africa would greatly benefit from the knowledge, innovation and experience of Chinese agricultural experts.
“China is a very important partner for Africa, especially now that we are coming out of the FOCAC Summit and some important announcements have been made.
“This includes capacity building through the deployment of Chinese experts to support agricultural productivity in Africa,” Biteye said.
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He added that China's continued support for Africa's infrastructure development, particularly climate-resilient and climate-related infrastructure, is crucial to Africa's efforts to modernize and combat climate change.
“China can share its experiences in agricultural development, including research into the development of new crop varieties, such as drought-resistant rice and other food crops.
“It can scale well and deliver high returns to support the growth of Africa’s agricultural sector,” Biteye said.
He added that greater Chinese support for agriculture could help Africa reduce its food import bill and enable the continent to achieve food sovereignty.
(Xinhua/NAN)