China Cooperation Seen as Key to Africa’s Technological Transformation: Zimbabwean Experts

Dragon Media News Desk

Cooperation with China can help African countries accelerate technological transformation and strengthen local capacity to adopt and develop modern technologies, Zimbabwean experts have said.

Speaking during this year’s Harare Forum for Africa in Zimbabwe’s capital, participants highlighted the need to deepen China-Africa cooperation in digital infrastructure, skills development, education, agriculture, cultural heritage preservation and research.

Held under the theme “Technological Transformation and Global South Modernization,” the forum brought together scholars, policymakers and business representatives to exchange views on development and China-Africa cooperation.

Established in 2024, the annual forum was jointly initiated by the China-Zimbabwe Exchange Center and the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University as a platform for academic exchange and policy dialogue between China and Africa.

Joseph Ngwawi, Executive Director of the Southern African Research and Documentation Center, said partnerships with China could play an important role in helping African countries adopt modern technologies, particularly because such transformation requires substantial investment.

He said technology should not be viewed solely as a tool for economic development, but also as an instrument for cultural preservation and social advancement. Technologies such as virtual reality, he noted, can help preserve historical sites, document cultural heritage and make it more accessible to younger generations.

Ngwawi said cooperation with China could also contribute to building local technical capacity in areas such as digital preservation, restoration and cultural tourism.

Abigail Ncube, a gender specialist in Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, said China-Africa cooperation should go beyond the transfer of infrastructure and equipment.

She said technology partnerships should also focus on developing local capabilities, opportunities and ownership, while expanding cooperation in digital infrastructure, digital education and vocational training.

According to Ncube, such cooperation could help establish long-term institutional platforms for teacher development, knowledge exchange, science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, research collaboration and professional skills training.

Zimbabwean medical doctor Ntethelelo Marcia-Anne Mpofu said that in the agricultural sector, China-Africa technological cooperation should extend beyond the simple transfer of technology and address underlying development constraints such as water availability, infrastructure and skills.

She stressed that technology alone cannot resolve Africa’s development challenges unless it is supported by reliable infrastructure and by farmers who have the knowledge and skills required to use it effectively.

Mpofu said the impact of technology ultimately depends on whether the surrounding systems support its application and whether technological solutions are adapted to local conditions and needs.

Participants at the forum broadly emphasised that China-Africa cooperation could make a greater contribution to Africa’s long-term modernisation if it is designed not merely as a process of importing technology, but as a partnership aimed at strengthening local knowledge, research capacity, production capabilities and human resources.