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By Ross Moyo
Zimbabwe’s President and Chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), H.E Emerson Mnangagwa, emphasized that the African continent must learn from countries like China, which have been pacesetters in modernization, by adopting approaches that fit their national characteristics.
Addressing African Presidents and their host, Chinese President Xi Jinping, after the official opening of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) yesterday, President Mnangagwa stressed this in his presentation at the High-Level Meeting on “Increasing Experience Sharing on State Governance and Exploring Paths to Modernization.”
President Mnangagwa noted that platforms like FOCAC, based on equality of nations and respect for diversity, are crucial to Africa’s development.
He revealed that Africa and China, home to 2.9 billion people, account for a third of the global population, providing ready inter-markets for countries of the Global South excluded from the current world order.
“His Excellency, President Xi Jinping, highlighted that together, China and Africa represent a population of about 2.8 billion. This strength in numbers benefits markets and amplifies the voice of the Global South. Most importantly, the Africa-China bloc offers an endless spring of shared ideas, knowledge, cultures, values, and principles for a better future for all,” President Mnangagwa said.
“We need not reinvent the wheel. Through innovation and learning from others’ successes and challenges, we can avoid pitfalls and gain momentum to accelerate development, modernization, and industrialization,” he added.
The Zimbabwean leader also stated that Africa and China, having overcome colonial rule and emerged victorious, offer the world diverse civilizations with distinctive governance experiences and capabilities. These can help leapfrog the quest for a stronger community and shared future.
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