By John Ikani
The 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has officially opened in Senegal’s capital, Dakar.
Delegates from the continent and China are in attendance, as well as hundreds of participants.
The two-day meeting started on Monday, with mainly foreign ministers in attendance.
The gathering is expected to focus on measures against coronavirus, in addition to infrastructure development and financial support.
Consequently, ministers and representatives of African countries and China are due to chart a joint response to deal with Covid-19 and unveil other plans that would guide the relationship for the next three years and beyond.
China says it has provided nearly 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to 50 African countries and the African Union.
The forum has served as a pillar of Chinese diplomatic policy in Africa since the first Conference was held in 2000. In the forum’s Summit Meeting held in Beijing in 2018, China pledged to extend 60 billion dollars to African countries.
Ahead of the conference, Senegal’s President Macky Sall praised China, saying its economic success offered lessons and hope to African countries which have “had similar historical experiences”.
A communique will be released on Tuesday.
Japan plans to hold a Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Tunisia next year.
