Conference to balance Africa’s economic transformation with development

Concluding a large gathering to share experiences on reducing poverty, African and Chinese officials on 19 November 2014 called for a deepening of the partnership between the two partners.

Co-hosted by the Government of Ethiopia, the African Union Commission, the International Poverty Reduction Centre in China and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the conference explored the current state of development work in Africa and identified key areas for joint initiatives. 

The conference was attended by around 200 participants, including government officials from African countries and China, diplomatic communities in Addis, as well as renowned experts and scholars and those from the private sector, civil society and international organizations. 

H.E. Ms Fatima Haram Acyl, the Commissioner for the Department of Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission, recognized and acknowledged that no country has been able to reach an acceptable level of socio-economic development without industrialization. She underscored that China was at a much lower lever of development than Africa before becoming the second largest economy in the world. “This can only been achieved by Africa through hard work, sacrifices and pro-industrialisation policies. The success of China is quite inspiring, and we are learning from that experience and intend to take more advantage of our privileged partnership with China to progress,” she mentioned.

“Benchmarking China’s best practices in industrialization is essential,” emphasized also H.E. Dr. Mulatu Teshome, the President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, “in that it is almost unthinkable to realize the African dream of becoming an industrialized, united and prosperous continent by 2063 only through Africa’s own technology generation.”

Over the past three decades China has seen considerable economic growth and succeeded in bringing millions of people out of poverty, thanks to specific policies designed to achieve agricultural and industrial growth and targeted initiatives to increase people’s opportunities and livelihoods.

At the same time, China is facing new challenges that are prompting the country to adapt its growth and poverty reduction strategies to face new realities in the global economy. 

A background report “China’s Industrialization: Overview – Implications for Africa’s Industrialization” and a comparative study on Special Economic Zones in China and African countries jointly commissioned by UNDP China and IPRCC was presented at the conference. Drawing on the Chinese experience, the background report sheds light on Africa’s industrialization process, while looking at the possibility of improving Special Economic Zones in Africa to increase job and income opportunities.

“The Conference is one of the concrete steps to implement the Program for Strengthening Cooperation on Poverty Reduction between the People’s Republic of China and the African Union which was released during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to AU in May this year,” noted Mr Si Shujie, Vice Minister of the China State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, “to boost experience sharing and collaborations on poverty eradication between China and Africa is thus of mutual concern & benefit especially critical for efforts to attain the MDGs and post-2015 agendas.”

“Well-crafted industrial development which supports inclusive growth and considers the environment will play a critical role in making transformation sustainable over the long-term”, said Eugene Owusu, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Ethiopia, “In seeking to drive industrial growth, we need strong partnerships. Such South-South co-operation can bring new opportunities for exchange and learning, financing, investment, trade, and also industrial development.”

With the theme of ‘Industrial Development: Cross-Perspectives from Africa and China’, the conference focused on the future of Africa’s development with an emphasis on how to balance industrialization with inclusive growth.

Understanding that growth doesn’t necessarily translate into inclusive development, the conference looked into three main areas: analysis of challenges and opportunities, development of robust public-private partnerships and experience sharing from other industrializing countries in both Africa and Asia.

Poverty reduction has become a priority area of Africa-China cooperation as pointed out by Premier Li Keqiang during his visit in May 2014. Outcomes of this conference will be rolled out the follow-up initiatives and will also be fed into preparations for the next FOCAC in South Africa in 2015. Continuing initiatives in partnership between AUC, IPRCC and UNDP will strengthen cooperation between China and African nations and the South-South experience-sharing between China and Africa to bolster African growth underpinned by poverty reduction.

» Background papers prepared for the Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference