China, Africa join hands for bright future

As the sun dipped below the horizon and cast a fiery glow over Koniobla, a village southeast of Bamako, the capital of Mali, the darkness crept in swiftly, wrapping the village in silence.

For years, nighttime meant the end of all activities in the village in the West African country, but things changed just one day after China’s solar technology brought light, as well as vitality, to the community in 2023.

“We no longer worry about access to water or electricity. Thank you, our Chinese friends, for helping us build power stations, install lights and dig water wells,” said Jean Doumbia, the village chief.

As one of the least-developed countries in the world, Mali faces a severe electricity shortage, with its rural electrification rate standing at below 20 percent, despite its abundance of photovoltaic resources.

The village of Koniobla, meanwhile, had long struggled with underdeveloped infrastructure and an almost complete lack of electricity.

Thanks to the China-aided Mali Solar Demonstration Village Project, a total of 1,195 off-grid solar home systems, 200 solar streetlights, 17 solar water pumps, and two centralized solar power systems have been installed in the vicinity of Koniobla, directly benefiting tens of thousands of residents.

Currently, around 600 million people in Africa live without electricity, despite Africa’s considerable renewable energy potential.

Experts noted that green cooperation is set to become another highlight of China-Africa collaboration, as Beijing vigorously supports the continent in addressing climate change and making progress in the green drive.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pledged China’s continuous support for Africa’s green development during his first overseas visit this year, which took him to four African countries in January.

Wang noted that the installed capacity of photovoltaic power stations jointly built by China and Africa has exceeded 1.5 gigawatts, lighting up many homes on the continent.

“President Xi Jinping proposed that China and Africa should jointly advance modernization that is eco-friendly. This is the common goal of China and Africa and one of the important tasks of my visit,” he said.

Wang vowed to build the “Africa Solar Belt” program to help Africa truly embark on the path of green, low-carbon development.

The program, which was launched by China at the inaugural Africa Climate Summit in September 2023, aims to provide electricity and lighting solutions to 50,000 impoverished households that lack power.

At the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation last year, Xi said: “China and Africa account for one-third of the world population. Without our modernization, there will be no global modernization.”

Emphasizing that green development is a hallmark of modernization in the new era, Xi called on China and Africa to jointly advance eco-friendly modernization.

At the summit, China announced a raft of measures, including launching 30 clean energy projects in Africa, putting in place meteorological early warning systems, and carrying out cooperation in disaster prevention, mitigation and relief, as well as promoting biodiversity conservation in the next three years.

Cliff Mboya, a research fellow at the Ghana-based Afro-Sino Centre of International Relations, told German media Deutsche Welle that Africa’s long-term development plans are being taken into consideration, and that “we are seeing China aligning with the Agenda 2063 proposed by the African Union”.

Paul Melly, an Africa analyst, told the British Broadcasting Corp that “Beijing now has ambitions to become a key partner for the continent in new high-tech industry and green technology on a scale that many European and North American companies are unwilling or unable to contemplate”.

He noted that the Beijing summit highlighted the green energy transition, including investment in manufacturing in Africa, particularly that of electric vehicles. This is of great significance for a continent that has lagged far behind Asia in developing sophisticated industries, he added.

Li Wentao, a researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said, “China has unique advantages and rich experience, while Africa has great needs in energy transformation, strengths in areas such as natural resources, and great room for development.

“The two sides enjoy complementary advantages in Africa’s green transformation. Their cooperation is not only mutually beneficial, but also essential for a common sustainable future,” Li added.

By drawing experience from China’s Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, the African Union launched the Great Green Wall Initiative in 2007 to restore the continent’s degraded landscapes and transform millions of lives in the Sahel, the semiarid region of western and north-central Africa, ushering in a new era of sustainability and economic growth.

Erik Solheim, vice-president of the Green Belt and Road Coalition and former executive director of the UN Environment Programme, said on social media that China is an indispensable nation for the world’s green shift. “The color of the Belt and Road is now green. There are huge investments in green railways, ports and bridges — in solar farms, wind and hydro projects.”

China also supports Africa in addressing climate-related injustice and is strengthening coordination with African countries on climate change issues to defend the development interests of the Global South.

Although Africa accounts for a very low proportion of global carbon emissions, it has become one of the regions most severely affected by climate change, said Li, the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations researcher.

“Developed countries should shoulder more historical responsibilities, provide financial and technical support to help Africa cope with climate change, and give the continent fair development space. This is not only the core issue of global climate governance, but also key to achieving sustainable development,” Li said.

Official data show that China has signed 53 cooperation documents with 42 developing countries, trained more than 2,500 professionals in the field of climate change response, and provided assistance to countries to tackle climate change.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn