China and Africa to map poverty reduction into Belt and Road Initiative

Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference, one of the many sub-forums leading up to this year’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, will commence in Beijing on Tuesday.

China itself has lifted over 800 million people out of impoverished conditions over the years through its massive poverty alleviation campaign.

However, though the economy in some African countries has been growing substantially, poverty still troubles the continent. According to data from the UN, half of the world’s impoverished population live in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Improper agriculture technology is one of the reasons leading to poverty in Africa.

According to a report from the International Poverty Reduction Center in China, farmland in Africa expanded by nearly 3%, but production only increased by 1.5%.

Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, African Union’s Commissioner of Rural Economy and Agriculture, opines that technology is much needed in Africa’s agriculture sector.

“Transforming agriculture in Africa demands empowering the poor farmers with technology. Value addition to agricultural produce is also an element that needs urgent attention.”

Poor infrastructure also leads to poverty, as it limits market access for goods both going in or out of Africa. China and African countries will work together to address this issue under the Belt and Road framework, which will help open up the Chinese market to African good.

“What Africa is asking China for is not handouts or charity, but opportunities for both economies to grow together,” UN Population Fund Representative in China Babatunde Ahonsi told CGTN at the conference.

“Better market access will help Africa to sell its services and products to the big Chinese market. That will contribute directly to poverty reduction.”

The Belt and Road Initiative will also allow Africans easier access to Chinese goods.

Regional Administrative Secretary of Tanzania’s Morogoro Province Clifford Tandari, who has seen the road to Laos in China and got inspired, said that “through the Belt and Road corridor, cheap Chinese goods can be shipped to Tanzania more easily. This will reduce costs for Tanzanian consumers.”