China-Africa Partnership on the Belt and Road: Lessons Learned and Future Prospects

By Mary Mtumwa Khatib Head of Tropical Research Center of Oceanography, Environment and Natural Resources State University of Zanzibar, Tanzania 06-09-2024

Dear Members of CPC,

Delegates from Different Countries in Africa, Good Afternoon.

It is an honor to share a topic that has not only shaped the new way of life sphere of infrastructure landscape and trade of our two worlds (China and African Countries) that make everlasting bonds between us. The theme of my discussion is ” China-Africa Partnership on the Belt and Road: Lessons Learned and Future Prospects”.

The Belt and Road cooperation between our countries, launched by China for the purposes of enhancing trade and stimulate economic growth to our countries through infrastructure development and investment. This can be exemplified by projects which received unprecedented opportunities to improve infrastructure (example:  Standard Gauge Railway –SRG that aim to connect Dar es Salaam to the landlocked countries of Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, which cost about $ 7billion; Stiegler’s Gorge Hydroelectric Power plant –aim at boasting Tanzania electricity generation capacity; Zanzibar Port Expansion that aim to upgrades the port to increase its capacity and efficiency in handling larger vessels. These projects also, focuses on boosting the trade within country and between countries, and attract foreign investment like Kigamboni Industrial Park and Mkuranga Priority Industrial Zone that aim to develop industrial zones to attract foreign investment and create jobs.

However, as any other initiatives, the China-Africa Belt and Road Cooperation should put much consideration on issues ranging from ecosystem degradation, labor preferences (Chinese labors over local workers); unsustainable debt levels –posing a risk to the many African countries; over-reliance on foreign  investment where posing risk on local capacity building, research and innovation.

These issues must be considered in a smart way in order to strengthen the long- term commitment, innovation-driven thinking and risk taking capacity for all nations through future prospects by:

1. Ensuring local community engagement strategies that are smart enough to minimize the overdependence of experts from oversees countries. This will improve and mobilize regional and local experts via localized co-production, transferable/exchangeable and scalable technologies between cooperate countries.
2. Ensuring sustainable investments in the local education and training to build indigenous expertise and reduce dependency on foreign entities. In this, there is the need to enhance the learning opportunities that cater from Open science, digital data and sustainable transformation.
3. In that way, China and African governments should have a shared understanding of how the SDGs (like SDG 7- affordable and clean energy; SDG 9- industry, innovation and infrastructure and SDG 10 – reduce inequalities) should be operationalized in order to leave no one behind.
4. Also, the data shows that half of the Africa’s Population is expected to be urban by 2035. So, how we will cater this challenge? One among solutions is to embrace THE OPEN SCIENCE that will reduce this challenge as we live in the interconnected world that has complex social, economic and environmental challenges. Because, the Open Science hold the open scientific knowledge acquisition and exchange, open science infrastructure that are sustainable, open engagement of societal actors through transparency, scrutiny, critique and reproducibility of knowledge and finally allows open dialogue with other knowledge systems (like indigenous knowledge).
5. Integrating and enhancing environmental resilience to the ongoing projects to ensure sustainable co-existence between biosphere, society and economy. This will allow transformation that thrives from these synergies.

Finally, we are embracing the China-Africa Belt and Road Cooperation initiative and the future prospects as above mentioned themes for the foresight and responsibility on ensuring that it serves as a catalyst for sustainable development and prosperity for all.

Thank You.