‘China helping Africa to come out of gloomy days’

Prof Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, Director, Centre for Contemporary China-Africa Research, has said China is helping Africa to come out of gloomy days through a win-win partnership. He stated this while speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the forum, titled the International Conference (West Africa) Second Post-FOCAC Abuja Forum. The event centred on implementing the “Ten […]

Prof Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, Director, Centre for Contemporary China-Africa Research, has said China is helping Africa to come out of gloomy days through a win-win partnership.

He stated this while speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the forum, titled the International Conference (West Africa) Second Post-FOCAC Abuja Forum.

The event centred on implementing the “Ten Partnership Actions” announced at the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit in Beijing.

He said China and Africa have rejected colonialism, imperialism and subjugation of any kind by the colonial forces that drained Africa of its resources, seized its human potential and ensured dependency and underdevelopment of the continent.

“Today, Africa is coming out of the gloomy days, Prof Ibrahim, a lecturer at the University of Abuja, said.

“In its cooperation with China, Africa is, for the first time, assured of the beacon of true modernisation and development, through: first, building mutual trust, mutual assistance, mutual learning, exchanges and common development.

“This rapid mutual chemistry and mutual assistance caught the attention of the international community, which marked the surfacing of China in global governance, poverty reduction, industrialisation, taking the path to modernisation and investing in African development”, he said.

He recalled that China had given $5 billion in 2006, $10 billion in 2009, $20 billion in 2012, $60 billion in 2015, $60 billion in 2018, $40 billion in 2021, and $50.7 billion in 2024 to African countries for investment, aid, credit lines and African modernization, growth and development.

“Chinese President Xi Jinping, in September 2024, posited that China stands ready to work with Africa to implement the 10 partnership action plans and to jointly advance modernisation. 

“President Xi believes that one-third of the world’s population lives in China and Africa, and there will be no global modernisation without the modernisation of China and Africa,” he said.

The 10 partnership action plans, to be implemented in the next three years, cover the areas of mutual learning among civilisations, trade prosperity, industrial chain cooperation, connectivity, development cooperation, health, agriculture and livelihoods, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, green development and common security.

The 2024 FOCAC summit focused on the above ten partnership actions for modernisation, aiming to build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future. 

Speaking at the occasion, Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, said these initiatives aim to catalyse the cause of China-Africa modernisation and elevate the China-Africa community with a shared future to new heights.

The envoy noted that tangible progress had already been made in several strategic areas.

“In just nine months after the FOCAC Beijing Summit, China and Africa have achieved significant progress in implementing the ‘Ten Partnership Actions’, with strengthened strategic mutual trust, deepened practical cooperation, and enhanced multilateral coordination.

“In the past recent days, we have seen major projects of cooperation between China and Nigeria achieving remarkable progress: the lithium processing plant in Nasarawa State commenced operations, the Ajaokuta Steel Plant revitalisation project advances steadily, and the Abuja N16 main road and Greater Water Supply project have been completed,” he said.

Also speaking, the Director-General/Global Liaison of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP), Joseph Tegbe, disclosed that the level of partnership with China is positioning Nigeria as the critical economic gateway for Africa.

The DG noted that the broad aim of his office is to strengthen bilateral relations through trade, investment, infrastructure development, technology transfer, and capacity building.

“This partnership aligns with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and seeks to position Nigeria as a critical hub in Africa, fostering long-term sustainable development and economic growth,” he said.