Ehizuelen Michael Mitchell Omoruyi, director of the Nigerian Studies Center at the Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, published an article in the China Daily on July 20. In his article, Prof. Ehizuelen affirmed that the Belt and Road Initiative, together with the Global Development Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative, is an effective response for the world’s shared economic challenges.

The article pointed out that since the launch of the BRI in 2013, China has signed more than 200 cooperation documents with 151 countries and 32 international organizations on the joint construction of the Belt and Road. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the BRI, China is expanding its high-level opening up.

In the face of regional and global instability, the world wonders how to deal with the risk of conflicts among great powers. What is gratifying is that China has always believed that mutually beneficial cooperation and interdependence are major guarantees for peaceful coexistence.

Under the framework of the BRI, China and African countries have strengthened cooperation to accelerate the economic development of the African continent. The achievements of China-Africa cooperation are evident to all. In fact, in the past ten years, African nations have built many large-scale and economically beneficial infrastructures, such as roads, railways, and ports.

The article further states that in the field of transportation, since the beginning of the new century, China has helped Africa build more than 6,000 kilometers of railways, 6,000 kilometers of roads, and nearly 20 ports. The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway in Ethiopia, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway in Kenya, and the Abuja-Kaduna Railway in Nigeria have connected the African continent.

Such upgrades in local infrastructure have generated major improvements in the productivity of Africa's agricultural and industrial sectors, and Ethiopia is one of the beneficiaries. Thanks to China’s valuable contributions and its own reforms, Ethiopia’s economy is growing at an average annual rate of 10%.

China has not only given a big boost to hydropower in Ethiopia, but also helped build several large industrial parks. The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway and Djibouti port, built with China’s aid, have become strategic import and export channels for Ethiopia.

The Lekki Deep Sea Port in Nigeria, a project undertaken by a Chinese company, is the largest deepwater port in West Africa. It is expected to create an overall economic benefit of nearly 360 billion USD and 170,000 jobs, injecting vitality into the Nigerian economy.

In terms of education, China enrolls more students from Africa than from the United States and the United Kingdom. China has also established research and development centers in several African countries, especially in the fields of agriculture and medicine. With the help of the Health Silk Road, China has helped African countries improve their vaccine production capacity.

Various data show that the BRI is crucial to the interconnection of African infrastructure and the economic development of the African continent. We look forward to another successful decade for the initiative, further advancing the world economy. On this basis, the international community will move towards peace, harmony, and prosperity. (Source: China Daily, edited from the original text by Ehizuelen Michael Mitchell Omoruyi, English text edited by Kendra Fiddler)