China-Africa ties key to shaping continent's future

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation has presented Africa with a golden opportunity to achieve the goals envisioned by the continent's founding fathers, experts say.

Through the principles of African Renaissance and Pan-Africanism, FOCAC aims to address the challenges that have long plagued Africa's economic, social and political development.

Dennis Munene, executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, said Africa now has a chance to push its agenda with the help of China.

"If we have to push and fulfill Agenda 2063 — end poverty, live in harmony and peace, and be able to move from one area to the other — we should tap into the spirit of FOCAC," he said at a webinar hosted by the Ghana-based Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory on Tuesday.

FOCAC has transformed the continent and facilitated integration through infrastructure development such as roads and railways, Munene said, adding that many partnership opportunities remain on the horizon.

The planned establishment of 25 China-Africa Studies Centers will bring a clear understanding between China and Africa, harmonizing the two civilizations and improving trade collaborations, he said.

Africa is home to 40 percent of the critical minerals needed for the green energy agenda — a key area for collaboration with China in manufacturing electric vehicles, he said.

In the 10-point action plan announced during last year's FOCAC summit in Beijing, trade and industrial cooperation should be given priority, Munene said.

The zero-tariff policy will allow Africa to expand its exports to China, boosting trade benefits. However, he warned that relying solely on raw material exports would create a trade imbalance — a challenge that can be addressed through stronger China-Africa industrial cooperation.

Na An, a consultant at 35°Nord, a communications agency in Paris, said African leaders are becoming more proactive, visiting China with clear objectives, particularly for investment.

"The future of China-Africa relations, and more broadly China-Global South cooperation, seems to be moving to a more practical, result-driven, efficient, and action-oriented approach," An said.

She termed clean energy development the first concrete outcome of last year's FOCAC summit, pointing to October's meeting between China and the African Union to strengthen energy cooperation and consolidate 30 clean energy agreements.

However, she said geopolitical tensions and upcoming African elections could affect the implementation of FOCAC action plans.

This is in addition to rising narratives, including the politics of nationalism expected within the next four years of US President Donald Trump's administration.

Munene said, "We have to breathe and know how to maneuver through these challenges of politics of nationalism."