China has reaffirmed Nigeria’s pivotal role in Africa’s modernisation agenda and in driving China–Africa cooperation, describing the country as a leading force on the continent due to its economic strength and population size.
The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, stated this in a message issued from the G20 Summit held in South Africa.
Ambassador Yu stressed that joint efforts between China and Nigeria will provide strong momentum for the implementation of the Initiative on Cooperation Supporting Modernisation in Africa and make significant contributions to the continent’s development.
“To this end, both sides should leverage their complementary advantages, focus on key areas, deepen cooperation in infrastructure and interconnectivity, strengthen agricultural and food security collaboration, advance industrial chain and digital economy cooperation, promote livelihood improvement and capacity-building, expand green development and ecological conservation, and explore pragmatic cooperation in peace and security—creating a model for China–Africa cooperation,” he said.
According to him, the G20 Summit was “a victory for multilateralism, a victory for the Global South, and a victory for Africa.”
Ambassador Yu explained that “the aspirations of African countries for independent development were deeply integrated into the global development agenda, noting that the voice of the Global South echoed throughout the Johannesburg Nasrec Expo Centre.
“During the summit, China and South Africa jointly launched the Initiative on Cooperation Supporting Modernisation in Africa. The Initiative carries forward the traditional friendly ties between China and Africa and makes an important contribution to the global development agenda. It demonstrates our firm resolve to advance together in the new era, injects strong momentum into Africa’s revitalisation, and draws a new blueprint for building a China–Africa community with a shared future.”
He recalled that 10 years ago, on December 4, 2015, at the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), President Xi Jinping announced China’s readiness to work with Africa to implement the 10 Cooperation Plans, targeting three major development bottlenecks: inadequate infrastructure, talent shortages, and funding gaps.
These efforts, Ambassador Yu said, aimed at accelerating industrialisation and agricultural modernisation to help Africa achieve independent and sustainable development.
“This was the first time China explicitly proposed supporting Africa in accelerating industrialisation and agricultural modernisation, ushering in a new phase of China–Africa cooperation. Over the past decade, China has honoured its commitments, expanded investment across the continent, and delivered substantial outcomes in industrialisation and agricultural modernisation,” he noted.
Ambassador Yu said that China has provided hundreds of billions of RMB in aid to Africa and executed major projects that have benefitted millions, improving railways, highways and ports, advancing industrialisation, and enhancing agricultural technologies.
“All these efforts demonstrate China’s sincere commitment and tangible results in supporting Africa’s modernisation,” he said.
Highlighting the newly launched Initiative on Cooperation Supporting Modernisation in Africa, Yu Dunhai said it builds on President Xi Jinping’s vision and reflects the continuity and stability of China’s policy toward Africa.
Ambassador Yu said the Initiative is rooted in Africa’s development needs and established a comprehensive, multi-level cooperation framework based on Six Major Principles and Six Major Directions.
The six cooperation principles include; justice and equitability, openness and win-win, putting people first, diversity and inclusiveness, sustainable development, peace and security.
He said the Initiative respects the sovereignty and independent choices of African countries, supports African-led solutions, and ensures that the benefits of cooperation reach the people.
The six cooperation directions focus on;
- Just and equitable modernisation – supporting Africa-initiated and Africa-led development paths, strengthening governance exchanges, and promoting reform of the international financial system.
- Open and win-win modernisation – boosting industrial and supply chain cooperation, high-quality infrastructure investment, and innovation partnerships.
- People-centred modernisation – prioritising food security, healthcare, poverty reduction, and regional value chains.
- Inclusive and diverse modernisation – expanding cooperation in education, youth development, women’s empowerment, and cultural exchanges.
- Eco-friendly modernisation – supporting Africa’s green and low-carbon transition, clean energy cooperation and disaster prevention.
- Peace-supported modernisation – building collective security mechanisms and advancing reform of the UN Security Council to address Africa’s long-standing representation concerns.
Ambassador Yu noted that the Initiative links the Ubuntu spirit and Pan-Africanism with China’s philosophy of a shared future for mankind, creating a new framework that blends African and Chinese wisdom.
He said this enriches the China–Africa community with a shared future, offers comprehensive solutions to Africa’s development challenges, sets a model for Global South cooperation, and provides a pathway for sharing the outcomes of Chinese modernisation.
Ambassador Yu emphasised that by sharing its modernisation experience, China is facilitating the flow of technology, funding, and skilled talent to Africa, creating mutual benefit and helping both sides advance their development agendas.
“Looking ahead, as long as China and Africa uphold sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith—and maintain mutual benefit and win-win cooperation—we will turn the blueprint of the Initiative on Cooperation Supporting Modernisation in Africa into reality,” he said.
Ambassador Yu Dunhai added that the cooperation will yield even more impactful results, inject greater momentum into global development, and open a new chapter in building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Lateefah Ibrahim