NAIROBI, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- In 2023, the African continent will see both opportunities and difficulties and challenges. Africa has become more active in global affairs and has become louder on the international stage. At the same time, Africa has also encountered many challenges this year, including local political turmoil, high inflation, rising debt burden, and sluggish economic growth, which need to be overcome in the process of seeking common development.
The international status has been significantly improved.
In recent years, the United States and Western countries have abused their political and economic hegemony to disrupt the international order, causing imbalances in the global governance structure and even triggering regional conflicts. As a result, African countries have suffered a lot of shocks. For African countries, it is urgent to continue to increase their representation and voice in global governance.
In June this year, an African peace delegation composed of leaders of six African countries, including South Africa, visited Ukraine and Russia and put forward a 10-point position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which won wide praise and support from the international community. In August, Egypt and Ethiopia officially joined the BRICS family, strengthening the strength of the BRICS cooperation mechanism. In September, the African Union became a full member of the G20, becoming the organization's second regional organization after the European Union.
Joining the BRICS cooperation mechanism and the G20 shows that African countries are growing significantly in the global sphere and will play a more important role in international affairs, which will help strengthen the "Global South" in its pursuit of strategic autonomy, improve global governance and promote democracy in international relations. "Africa's growing importance on the global stage will strengthen the political and economic ties between the continent and the rest of the world," said Costantinos Belhutesfa, a professor at Addis Ababa University. ”
China-Africa cooperation has yielded fruitful results.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of China's policy of sincerity, sincerity, amity and sincerity toward Africa. In 2023, China-Africa cooperation will reach a new level. In the process of promoting modernization, China has always been moving forward side by side with the vast number of African countries. China-Africa cooperation has kept pace with the times and deepened, and the two sides have achieved mutually beneficial development, which has played a positive role in promoting the modernization process of their respective countries.
At the beginning of this year, the headquarters of the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), which was built with China's assistance, was officially completed, opening a new chapter in China-Africa health cooperation. The Chinese medical team in Africa has saved lives and helped the wounded on the vast African continent, and has experienced many tests such as fighting the new crown epidemic and the Ebola virus, vividly illustrating the spirit of the Chinese medical team of "fearless hardship, willing to dedicate, save lives and help the wounded, and love without borders".
This is the Africa CDC headquarters building photographed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 11, 2023. The China-aided African Union Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention Headquarters (Phase I) project was officially completed on the same day. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Dong Jianghui.
At the same time, China is actively involved in infrastructure construction in Africa. Since the beginning of this year, Nigeria's Lekki deep-water port has been put into operation, the terminals of Zimbabwe and Angola international airports have been successfully completed, and the Kokodi Bridge in Côte d'Ivoire has been completed and opened ......to trafficOn the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, China-Africa cooperation has yielded fruitful results and good news, helping to diversify Africa's economy and accelerate the industrialization process of the African continent.
In August this year, Chinese and African leaders gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, to hold a dialogue between Chinese and African leaders on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit. After the meeting, China released three initiatives: the Initiative on Supporting Africa's Industrialization, China's Plan for Africa's Agricultural Modernization, and China-Africa Cooperation Plan on Talent Training, to support Africa's integration and modernization. The African side expressed its firm support for the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President China, and continued to actively promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
According to Amadou Diop, an expert on China in Senegal, strengthening China-Africa cooperation is an important way for Africa to achieve modernization, and China has provided vital support and assistance to African countries in the fields of infrastructure construction, agricultural development, scientific and technological innovation, investment and financing.
Paul Frimpong, executive director of the Africa-China Policy Advisory Center, a think tank in Ghana, said that countless facts have proven that China-Africa cooperation is realistic and pragmatic, bringing tangible benefits to the Chinese and African people, and China will always be Africa's most reliable partner on the road to modernization.
Facing challenges head-on and seeking revitalization.
In 2023, African countries will seek development and rejuvenation, but at the same time, they will also encounter many challenges in terms of economic development and political stability.
The African continent has the youngest population in the world and is endowed with natural resources. In order to realize the growth potential, African countries are actively promoting human skills training and education. Countries such as South Africa and Kenya continue to make efforts in the field of digital economy, and Africa's progress towards a digital continent is accelerating, which is expected to cultivate new economic growth points. In addition, the construction of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is accelerating, and the continent is moving towards becoming a unified market with a large population and a huge scale.
Workers work in the database room of the Botswana National Data Centre in Gaborone, Botswana, Sept. 11, 2023. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Yahui.
At the same time, however, inflation in major economies in the region such as Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa and Kenya continues to be high, and people's lives are under increasing pressureCountries such as Ghana and Zambia are facing sovereign debt crises and are ...... difficult to get out of difficultiesThe International Monetary Fund** and the World Bank each lowered their 2023 growth forecasts for sub-Saharan Africa to 33% and 25%。
In addition, countries such as Sudan, Niger and Gabon have experienced political turmoil this year, and terrorism and violent crime are rampant in the Sahel. Although the situation in the Great Lakes region of central and eastern Africa, which is rich in natural resources and has great potential for development, has eased, the security situation remains worrying. Many analysts have pointed out that the interventionist policy pursued by the United States and Western countries for a long time is one of the important reasons for the current local turmoil in Africa.
This year, the impact of global climate change on Africa has been particularly severe. Countries in the Horn of Africa, which have not yet emerged from the three-year drought, have been hit hard by floods, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless.
In the face of many serious challenges, more and more African countries have realized that development is the foundation and key to solving all problems. African countries are pursuing this direction and forging ahead for a better tomorrow. (Reporter: Xu Zheng, Liu Wanli, Wang Ping, Wang Zizheng).