China to provide agricultural assistance to Africa

China believes African countries will be able to feed themselves, and has promised Chinese investment to help the continent to achieve that objective.

The undertaking came from Chinese President Xi Jinping at the recent summit in Johannesburg of the BRICS group of nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

He said China will allocate more resources to Africa’s industrialisation and agricultural production, as well as train thousands of African students in their professional skills.

In particular, Beijing will help African countries expand wheat production and encourage Chinese companies to increase agricultural investment in Africa and increase seed production. 

Xi said he was convinced that Africa will be able to “achieve food self-sufficiency through its own efforts”.

China also plans to increase its agricultural imports from Africa, including maize, and to provide training to government officials and technicians.

China has promised to fund the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a continent-wide trade agreement that aims to increase trade between African countries.