THE GOVERNMENT ADVISED TO CREATE A NATIONAL PLATFORM FOR FOCAC ACTIVITIES

By correspondent Friday Simbaya, Iringa

The government has been advised to create a national platform for Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) development which will act as a national strategic arm for available opportunities.

The call was made yesterday by the Tanzania Grassroots Oriented Development (TAGRODE) Executive Director, Zubery Mwachulla when he was conducting a training to Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) about the opportunities and recommendations of FOCAC in the context of Tanzania held in Iringa Town.

He said that it is important for the government to establish the forum that will monitor FOCAC deliberations on the implementation of the Johannesburg Summit and the 6th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Johannesburg from 3 to 5 December 2015. 

Heads of State and Government, Heads of Delegation, the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission and Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers in charge of economic cooperation from China and 50 African countries (hereafter referred to as "the two sides") attended the Summit and Ministerial Conference respectively.

He said the summit has earmarked the following areas of cooperation between Africa and China in the FOCAC Action Plan 2016-2018, including Economic Cooperation, Social development cooperation, Cultural cooperation and people to people exchanges, Security cooperation and International cooperation.

Mwachulla said the national forum should include also the Non-State actors, including CSOs, can help provide on-the-ground insights and information to support and enhance the quality and implementation. 

He said the encouragement of national delegations should be cross-sectoral, as well as by enabling formal and meaningful CSOs participation in investment planning and decision-making.

He said the FOCAC process, including expanding access by international CSOs to the China-Africa People’s Forum.

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was establishment in the year 2000.

Since then the forum has enhanced economic cooperation, common development and cultural exchanges between China and Africa. 

The Africa’s economies have grown considerably in the past decade, and China has contributed through FOCAC by facilitating trade, investments, aid and development into the region.