Interview: China's successful experience in poverty reduction, agricultural dev't welcomed in Africa: AU official

Speaking to Xinhua on Thursday, Josefa Sacko, AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, said China can replicate its successful experience in poverty reduction and agricultural development in its engagements across Africa.

"It is very important from their experience, because I had the opportunity to go to China and I saw the way they transform the rural area into urban area. I hope they will do the same for ours," the AU Rural Economy and Agriculture told Xinhua.

"This could alleviate poverty because it creates jobs, because it is not only in the agriculture activity but also others... So, there are a lot of opportunities," she added.

Commending China's successful poverty reduction endeavors, the commissioner said Africa should replicate China's successes towards reducing poverty, with particular emphasis on rural development.

"The way they did their poverty reduction program, it is really welcomed in Africa. It is really in the area of rural development, they have to bring in infrastructures, bring knowledge, and technology," she said.

Sacko stressed that China's poverty reduction and agricultural development program engagements can also propel African youth's future prospects in developing rural areas towards better economic centers.

"The (African) youth today, they don't want to be in the remote village areas. They want to have life even in the village like the way they did it in China," she said.

She, in particular, welcomed initiatives announced during the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in November last year, mainly the poverty reduction and agricultural development program which is one of the nine programs proposed at the conference.