Over 50 African heads of state gathered in Beijing on 4-6 September for the 9th Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). As per tradition, the triennial meeting concluded with an action plan and a declaration.
The plan covered issues ranging from infrastructure and health to trade and security, reflecting the ever-broadening scope of the relationship. Present throughout were pledges to strengthen cooperation on climate change and, in particular, renewable and clean energy, themes prominent in the relationship since the last Forum in Dakar in 2021.
We asked four experts what signals they think the FOCAC sent for cooperation on energy, decarbonisation and “green” industries – and what we can expect to see from the relationship over the coming three years.
Image courtesy of Fikayo Akeredolu
