Foreign news

FOCAC at 20 is great, and will be greater in the next 20 years

Published

5 years ago

October 13, 2020

Editor’s note: Stephen Ndegwa is a Nairobi-based communication expert, lecturer-scholar at the United States International University-Africa, author, and international affairs columnist. The article reflects the author’s opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

October 10 marks one of the most significant dates in the growing Sino-Africa relations. It is the day 20 years ago that the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was established at the first Ministerial Conference held in Beijing.

The FOCAC was formed at a time developing countries were seeking more collaboration through South-South cooperation. Indeed, this partnership has led to a paradigm shift that has seen developing countries becoming more assertive and confident in managing their own affairs.

Although the roots of Sino-Africa relations can be traced way back to the seventh century during the era of the ancient Silk Road, they have solidified in the last four decades as China launched its reform and opening up in earnest. Today, the FOCAC comprises 54 African countries, the African Union Commission, and the People’s Republic of China as partners.

The forum meets every three years. In addition to the 2000 founding event in Beijing and two other meetings held in the Chinese capital city in 2006, other meetings have been held in Ethiopia, Egypt, and South Africa. The latest event, the 7th FOCAC Ministerial Conference, was held in Beijing in September 2018.

The cooperation extends to areas such as trade, technology, diplomacy, media, agriculture, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. The FOCAC’s spirit of solidarity and cooperation is captured in the colors of its logo. The green color symbolizes peace and development, and the red indicates vitality and prosperity.

Contrary to the naysayers, Sino-Africa relations are mutually beneficial to both sides, and the notion of China pushing its partner to a debt trap is simply a figment of their imagination. It is a symbiotic relationship where China seeks resources for its growing consumption on one hand, and African countries earn funds to develop their infrastructures.

The Beijing Action Plan (2019-2021) took stock of the partnership between China and Africa in the preceding 18 years and went further to propose more and wide-ranging areas of cooperation, from economic and political sectors to tourism and environment.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the FOCAC that China will extend $60 billion to Africa in form of grants, loans, and special funds, with Chinese companies encouraged to make at least $10-billion investments in Africa by the end of 2021.

Clearly, those who see China’s exploitation of a hapless continent have deliberately failed to see the transformative nature of the partnership, one that has lived up to its mantra of win-win outcomes.

At a virtual meeting with African heads of state and government in June, President Xi reiterated the strong relationship between the two partners, noting that his country’s support during the coronavirus pandemic had left no doubt of its commitment to making it work.

The FOCAC has become entrenched and now encompasses various sub-forums. These include cooperation in specific areas like youth, health, media, poverty reduction, and development, law, local government, and academia.

So, what do the next 20 years look like for the FOCAC? The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will be a game-changer for Africa’s fortunes. The intra- and inter-continental connectivity that is emerging from this project augurs well for trade and economic growth of the continent.

The BRI is unfolding at the same time with the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

In an interview with Chinese news agency Xinhua, Gedion Jalata, a senior advisor to the UNDP South-South Cooperation, noted that China’s support to African countries both through the BRI framework as well as individual projects will boost inter-African economic integration, with China potentially playing the role of key facilitator for the broader goals of AfCFTA.

Basically, the FOCAC has become a global benchmark in multilateralism where all partners are in it for mutual benefit. It is expected that the next FOCAC summit in 2021 will usher in a new era informed by the challenges undergone due to the coronavirus pandemic.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)

Share on Facebook

Featured

Financing Health Futures: Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda Turn to Tobacco and Telecom Taxes in Big Push Against Malaria

Published

1 week ago

September 28, 2025

The Gleamer

African leaders, parliamentarians, health experts, and development partners have renewed their commitment to ending malaria by 2030, with a bold call for domestic financing through innovative taxation on tobacco, alcohol, and telecom services to close critical funding gaps.

The discussions took center stage at the Big Push Against Malaria: Harnessing Africa’s Role high-level political engagement in Abuja, where Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda showcased new homegrown financing strategies aimed at reducing dependence on dwindling donor support.

Africa’s Heavy Burden

Malaria remains one of Africa’s deadliest diseases. In 2023, the world recorded 263 million cases and nearly 600,000 deaths, with 94% of cases and 95% of deaths occurring in Africa. Nigeria alone accounted for 26.6% of global cases and 31% of deaths, according to the World Malaria Report 2024. Children under five remain the most vulnerable, making up 76% of deaths.

Despite progress — with Nigeria cutting malaria deaths by more than half since 2000 through insecticide-treated nets, preventive treatments, and the rollout of the new R21 malaria vaccine — leaders warned that global targets are off-track. The World Health Organization’s technical strategy for malaria (2016–2030) has stalled since 2017, with Africa unlikely to meet its 2025 and 2030 milestones without urgent action.

Taxing for Health Futures

The Nigerian Parliament’s Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (ATM) announced plans to fund malaria elimination through “sin taxes” and telecom levies.

According to the House Chair on ATM, Hon. Linda Ogar, a bill is underway to restructure the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) into a multi-disease agency that will address HIV, TB, and malaria.

The new financing mechanism proposes:

Taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and other luxury items

Dedicated levies on telecom airtime and mobile money transactions

A percentage of the nation’s consolidated revenue

“These resources will provide sustainable funding to strengthen health systems and accelerate malaria elimination,” Ogar said, stressing that Africa must stop relying solely on foreign donors. “We cannot continue to take two steps forward and five steps backward. Africa must begin to show the world that we are ready to solve our problems ourselves.”

Similar models are already being piloted in Ghana and Uganda, where levies on mobile money and telecoms are being redirected to finance health interventions. The Abuja meeting urged other African countries to adopt this approach as part of a continental framework for sustainable financing.

Leaders Call for Urgent Action

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, emphasized that while malaria is preventable and treatable, it still kills hundreds of thousands yearly due to funding shortfalls, climate change, insecticide resistance, and humanitarian crises.

“To truly defeat this disease, we must rethink, join forces, and mount a concerted ‘Big Push’. Funding gaps remain a major obstacle, and innovative domestic financing is the way forward,” Salako declared.

From the civil society front, grassroots representatives pledged to act as “foot soldiers”, demanding that communities have a seat at the decision-making table. The World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation, and other partners reaffirmed support but stressed the need for stronger political will and local ownership.

Private Sector and Global Support

Representing billionaire philanthropist Aliko Dangote, the Nigeria Malaria Council reiterated that private sector investment must complement government financing. Meanwhile, the Global Fund confirmed it has invested nearly $2 billion in Nigeria’s malaria response and committed an additional $500 million for 2024–2026, including support for local production of malaria drugs.

The Gates Foundation’s Uche Anaowu noted that while progress has slowed, malaria remains beatable:

“Smallpox is the only human disease ever eradicated. The question is — can malaria be next? I believe Africa has both the burden and the opportunity to lead the world in making that happen.”

Financing Health Futures: Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda Turn to Tobacco and Telecom Taxes in Big Push Against Malaria

Abuja, Nigeria – African leaders, parliamentarians, health experts, and development partners have renewed their commitment to ending malaria by 2030, with a bold call for domestic financing through innovative taxation on tobacco, alcohol, and telecom services to close critical funding gaps.

Africa’s Heavy Burden

Taxing for Health Futures

The Nigerian Parliament’s Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (ATM) announced plans to fund malaria elimination through “sin taxes” and telecom levies.

The new financing mechanism proposes:

Taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and other luxury items

Dedicated levies on telecom airtime and mobile money transactions

A percentage of the nation’s consolidated revenue

Leaders Call for Urgent Action

Private Sector and Global Support

The Gates Foundation’s Uche Anaowu noted that while progress has slowed, malaria remains beatable:

“Smallpox is the only human disease ever eradicated. The question is — can malaria be next? I believe Africa has both the burden and the opportunity to lead the world in making that happen.”

The Big Push: From Talk to Action

Speakers acknowledged that Africa has hosted too many malaria meetings without concrete outcomes. This time, however, leaders insisted the Abuja gathering must mark a turning point — from dependency to self-reliance.

With Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda setting the pace on tax-based health financing, the continent now faces the challenge of replicating and scaling up these models.

“Now that Africa is at a critical point, the need for a Big Push against malaria cannot be overemphasized. If we align political will, innovative financing, and community engagement, we can end malaria within our lifetime.”

Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda are pioneering a shift from donor dependence to domestic revenue mobilization via tobacco, alcohol, and telecom taxes — a model hailed as central to financing Africa’s health futures and ending malaria by 2030
Speakers acknowledged that Africa has hosted too many malaria meetings without concrete outcomes. This time, however, leaders insisted the Abuja gathering must mark a turning point — from dependency to self-reliance.

With Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda setting the pace on tax-based health financing, the continent now faces the challenge of replicating and scaling up these models.

“Now that Africa is at a critical point, the need for a Big Push against malaria cannot be overemphasized. If we align political will, innovative financing, and community engagement, we can end malaria within our lifetime.”

Share on Facebook