The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will take place in Beijing from 4 to 6 September 2024, as part of the drive to strengthen strategic relations between China and the African continent.
This summit brings together African leaders, including several representatives from the Central Sahel, although their levels of participation vary.
Mali’s head of state, Colonel Assimi Goita, has travelled to take part in this major event. Arriving in Beijing on Sunday, the head of Mali’s transitional government is accompanied by five ministers, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Abdoulaye Diop.
Niger will be represented by its Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, who left Niamey on Sunday for Beijing. Burkina Faso, for its part, will be sending a delegation led by Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachimson Kyelem de Tambela. Among the members of this delegation is Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karamoko Jean Marie Traore, who arrived in Beijing on 31 August 2024.
However, as revealed by APA, Captain Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso, has chosen to remain in Ouagadougou to manage the national security situation following the deadly attack in Barsologho, which left dozens of civilians dead.
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed on his social media that FOCAC 2024 represents a valuable opportunity for Africancountries to solidify their relations with China, indicating that the discussions will address key issues such as peace and security, political governance, industrialisation, the modernisation of agriculture, as well as cooperation under the “Belt and Road” Initiative.
Under the theme “Joining forces to promote modernisation and build a high-level China-Africa shared future community,” this year’s summit highlights the importance of this meeting for the future of Sino-African relations, highlighting the opportunities for strategic partnership for mutual development.
AC/fss/as/APA