LUSAKA, September 28th (Xinhua) — China’s plan to help Africa’s industrialization is a welcome move as it will help revolutionize the continent’s economies, said Sydney Mwamba, executive director of the Policy Monitoring and Research Center (PMRC), a think tank in Zambia.
Mwamba said the level of industrialization on the African continent has been low, leading to low growth in economies, adding that China’s support would enhance economic growth.
“This is therefore a welcome initiative, especially since in the case of Africa, an industrialized African continent will result in accelerated growth in terms of economies,” he said, during a recent interview with a check by Xinhua.
According to Mwamba, mechanization of the agricultural sector will go a long way in providing African farmers with access to cheaper agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers, which have hampered the growth of this sector. Setting up fertilizer manufacturing companies with China’s help will be essential, as Africa relies too heavily on fertilizer imports.
He added that the aspect of skills transfer was essential and it was gratifying that China was willing to train African human resources in various sectors, a situation which will not only reduce illiteracy levels but will also improve the skills of local people so that they contribute to economic development.
He noted that China’s vision of supporting Africa is bearing fruit because, in addition to infrastructure projects that promote economic growth, African countries reap many benefits. Strengthening cooperation allows China to invest heavily in infrastructure development in Africa, which plays a key role in unlocking African economies.
“This simply means that these infrastructure projects have generated jobs for local people in Africa, jobs from the construction industry in terms of service provision, and they have facilitated the operations of local companies in Africa,” he added.
Zambia, he said, has benefited immensely from China’s support for infrastructure development, as evidenced by the upgrading of airports, highways and energy projects.
Chinese support has undoubtedly contributed to poverty reduction through mechanization of the agricultural sector, skills transfer and improved food security.
The training opportunities provided for Africans to study in China have enhanced the knowledge that is applied in the respective African countries, he added.
Xinhua/abp