Lovemore Chikova China-Africa Focus—
China has struck the right chord by identifying agriculture and infrastructure investment as priorities in its dealings with African countries, and Zimbabwe in particular.
What is important about these two sectors is that they have a potential for a quick realisation of the continent’s dream of industrialisation.
It is important that China has been accelerating investments in Africa, especially in these two key areas.
With lessons and experiences from how the Asian country has managed to deal with poverty in a relatively short period, African countries can also aspire to turn around their situations.
What is needed for African countries is to focus their energy on areas that contribute to economic growth.
China took a deliberate decision in 1978 that it could not continue for long in the situation it was in. That situation was characterised by poverty and lack of industrialisation, the same state many African countries find themselves in today.
The Chinese leaders, led by President Deng Xiaoping, forged a new era of development, but still managed to maintain the country’s major characteristics of socialism. The measures they put in, especially in agriculture and infrastructure development, led to the prosperity that China is known for now.
It was the reform and opening up policy that changed the face of China, as investors flocked to the country, bringing in the much needed capital.
What African countries, including Zimbabwe, need to appreciate at the moment is that they do not possess much capital that can enable them to quickly turnaround their situations.
Yet, the African officials know exactly where that capital resides and they know the means to attract it. What is needed is for the African countries to genuinely accept their situation, like what China did in 1978, and devise ways of coming out of it.
This includes taking lessons from how others did it. This is why China’s priorities on agriculture and infrastructure development in Africa become handy as an experience that others can learn from.
Not that African countries should take whatever comes from countries like China “hook, line and sinker”.
A big no and far from it.
They must instead be able to assess their individual situations and go for only those aspects of Chinese development that apply to them and can relate well to their ambitions and goals.
But it is important that China realises that its experiences can be useful to other nations with the same developmental ambitions as the Asian economic giant.
China did not become the second largest economic powerhouse in the world by mistake. It took a deliberate effort by its leaders who set clear goals and then the appropriate actions to execute those goals.
So, when China advocates for investment in agriculture and infrastructure development in Africa, the Chinese leaders are speaking from a point of successful experiences.
In recent years, the Asian economic giant has been increasing its investment in agriculture across the African continent.
China has much to offer to Africa considering that its agricultural growth has been instrumental in helping in the alleviation of poverty.
This makes the country’s remarkable turnaround in agriculture offer many options to African countries, which still face the same problems that China used to have. The major lesson being that agriculture can contribute much to the industrialisation of a country by providing raw materials for the industries.
The sector can help empower the generality of the people, especially when the right markets are available and accessible to the majority.
A progressive agricultural sector can actually help fight poverty in the rural areas in Africa, where the majority live.
The wide gap of poverty between those who live in the cities and those in the rural areas can actually be easily narrowed if the agricultural sector is vibrant.
So, agricultural investment is important for Africa, and China should be applauded for realising that fact.
Chinese financial institutions such as the China-Africa Development Bank, China Export and Import Bank and the China Development Bank have been involved in funding the agricultural sector in Africa.
The China Development Bank, for example, has financed an agricultural development deal between Zimbabwe and China to the tune of $585 million in recent years. The Asian country is also establishing several agricultural demonstration centres throughout the country, where thousands of experts will be trained.
Several Zimbabwean agricultural officials have been offered an opportunity to study in China and enhance their knowledge for use back home.
Recently, Zimbabwe and the Chinese province of Jiangxi signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the supply of irrigation and tillage equipment.
There are so many other agricultural deals that have been clinched between Zimbabwe and China.
This shows that China understands better the development aspirations of African countries and is willing to play a part in realising that dream.
Agriculture accounts for about one-third of the African continent’s Gross Domestic Product, according to the African Union. Clearly, no development agenda can be implemented successfully on the continent without considering a turnaround in agriculture.
What is needed is to implement measures that will result in high yields, and this can be achieved through acquiring new farming technologies. This is why a tour made by Chinese ambassador Mr Huang Ping and several government ministers at the China Industrial International Group this week was important.
The group is involved in various investment projects in Zimbabwe, including agriculture. It emerged during the tour that Zimbabwe can do well by exploring markets for its agricultural products in China. China is a vast market and a big consumer of agricultural produce, with nearly 1,3 billion people.
This is definitely not a negligible market.
“We are exploring Chinese markets to be open for Zimbabwean agriculture products, inclusive of horticulture, beef, poultry and stock feeds,” said Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa during the tour. I want us to explore, together with the Chinese, I want to explore the issue of China opening up its markets to Zimbabwe’s agricultural produce. When I say agricultural produce I am talking about beef, roadrunners, chickens, flowers, horticultural products.”
China is already the biggest buyer of tobacco from Zimbabwe, with companies like Tianze from the Asian country involved in the growing of the golden leaf.
It has already been proven that it is possible for Chinese firms to partner with locals in agriculture and produce products with a high quality good enough for export. So, the investment from China should be directed towards improving the agricultural infrastructure to produce more quality goods. During the tour, Mr Huang reiterated that the cooperation priorities in agriculture and infrastructure development were important.
“We are ready to start with agriculture,” he said. “We need to strengthen our cooperation in agriculture and infrastructure.
“I will bring more people from China. Lots of people have shown their interest in coming to invest here.”
The China Industrial International Group, for example, has already pledged to invest $10 million towards horticulture production.
This was after it recently exported a sample of flowers to China.
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