African experts see value in China model

As the Communist Party of China marks its 105th anniversary, African scholars are pointing to the Party's development journey as a source of valuable lessons for the continent, urging African countries to draw from its governance experience, long-term planning and economic transformation in pursuit of sustainable development.

They argue that while Africa must chart its own path, the CPC's experience offers practical insights into industrialization, infrastructure development, poverty reduction and effective governance.

Paul Frimpong, founder and executive director of the Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory, said one of the biggest lessons from China's development under the CPC is its emphasis on long-term planning, policy consistency and sustained economic transformation.

"Over the years, China has shown the importance of setting clear national priorities and maintaining continuity in implementing them," he said. "I believe these are lessons that many African countries can draw from, regardless of their political systems."

James Shikwati, founder and director of the Inter Region Economic Network in Kenya, said the CPC's historical journey is a living case for the Global South on the importance of long-term strategic vision.

China's international cooperation model driven by platforms such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation enables participating countries to autonomously define their own developmental priorities.

This approach lowers political barriers, enabling vital infrastructure projects to move at a pace aligned with local needs, Shikwati said.

Saxon Zvina, principal consultant at Skyworld Consultancy Services based in Harare, Zimbabwe, said that many Western narratives about the CPC often overlook China's tangible development achievements in favor of ideological criticism. He said the CPC's institutional strengths offer important and practical lessons for post-colonial African governance.

According to Zvina, one of the Party's defining strengths has been its ability to combine long-term national planning with strong grassroots governance, creating an institutional framework capable of translating national priorities into local development outcomes.

China's extensive network of grassroots Party organizations, he said, has enabled effective implementation of public policies, helping the country eradicate extreme rural poverty, narrow regional disparities and deliver public services to remote communities.

"This layered, community-rooted organizational architecture directly addresses a persistent African governance failure: weak rural administrative coverage that leaves remote marginalized populations overlooked," he said.

Frimpong cautioned against simply copying China's development model, noting that every country has its own political history, institutions, and social realities.

"What works best is not simply replicating China's governance model, but adapting useful principles such as strategic planning, investment in infrastructure and human capital, industrial policy, and a results-oriented approach to development within each country's own context," he said.

Common prosperity

Hassan Omar, secretary-general of Kenya's United Democratic Alliance, described the China-Africa relationship as one built on mutual respect, common prosperity and a shared commitment to development.

"The China-Africa relationship has been more of mutual respect, it has been more about our common and shared prosperity, it has been more about our common humanity. It has not been exploitative. It has been more responsive to the development agenda of the African people," he said.

Omar hailed China's decision to grant zero-tariff treatment to exports from 53 African countries, saying the policy presents significant opportunities for African exporters.

Zvina said the CPC's commitment to mutually beneficial international cooperation also offers African countries a road map for building external partnerships that prioritize local development interests over outside geopolitical agendas.

"We can learn deeply from the CPC's balanced fusion of progressive developmental theory and indigenous cultural identity, uphold the principle of civilizational pluralism, and consign colonial zero-sum cultural rivalry firmly to the past."

Frimpong said the next phase of China-Africa cooperation should move beyond infrastructure and trade to place greater emphasis on industrialization, technology transfer, skills development, and value addition.

Beyond trade and investment, Omar emphasized the importance of strengthening people-to-people exchanges, particularly among young people, saying greater interaction would deepen mutual understanding and support long-term cooperation.

"When our young people go to China, they see how China is organized. They see the advancement in technology, infrastructure and communication. That itself is a model to borrow from," he said.

Hou Chenchen in Beijing contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at edithmutethya@chinadaily.com.cn