African experts eye closer cooperation in high tech

The just-concluded two sessions, the annual meetings of China's National People's Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, not only opened up China's plan to the rest of the world and how the country seeks to relate to the rest of the world while growing its own economy, but also highlights several areas of possible alignment with Africa.

James Shikwati, the director of Inter Region Economic Network, a Nairobi-based think tank, said China is focused on investing in digital technology, an area that African youth, who comprise the highest percentage of the population, are interested in.

Citing the Government Work Report, he said by committing to strive for solid progress in pursuing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, China has indicated upgrading of the BRI, an initiative that Africans are deeply interested in.

"The BRI has been a driving force for infrastructure development in Africa in terms of building ports, airports, highways and railways. The initiative aligns with the African Union's Agenda 2063, which is working to ensure African cities get interconnected," Shikwati said.

He said China is committed to upgrading a high-quality industrial mechanism sensitive to climate change and low carbon, offering lessons for Africa on how it can upgrade its own industrial base.

Additionally, China is leapfrogging in terms of digital technology, a partnership opportunity for Africa because it hosts minerals that can power the technologies, Shikwati said.

In light of the changing geopolitical situation, he said the calm approach that China is taking, gives hope to the future of Africa.

Shikwati said the work report showcases a good template of how a leadership that is looking for transformation and well-being for its people looks like.

Dennis Munene, executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute in Nairobi, said that the work report indicates China takes time to evaluate what works and what doesn't, and Africa can borrow a leaf from that and embrace monitoring and evaluation of its policies.

AI integration

He said China's commitment to promote high-quality BRI indicates the initiative comes with the integration of artificial intelligence, which will help countries in Africa and, the Global South in general, to develop.

"BRI is going to help countries to deal with the issues of drought and climate change," he said.

With China committing to push for stable development of foreign trade as per the work report, he said it shows China's commitment to the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, meaning the 10-point agenda is going to be realized.

"With the work report setting the agenda for China, it's a show of confidence that whatever was agreed upon at the FOCAC summit is going to be implemented. We are going to see increased trade volume between China and Africa," he said.

Munene said China is not only committed to boosting its trade but also to developing the Global South and enhancing trade with all the countries. He said the zero tariff access granted by the Chinese government to most African countries will help in balancing the trade between China and Africa.