STORY: China, Africa join forces to advance modernization
SHOOTING TIME: Earlier footage
DATELINE: Jan. 22, 2024
LENGTH: 00:04:43
LOCATION: Nairobi
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of China and Africa's cooperation in different countries
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ADENIYI SALAUDEEN, Commuter
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MICHAEL EGBO, Businessman
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): SANDOKAN DEBEBE, CEO of Ethiopia's Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC)
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (French): PAUL VALENTIN NGOBO, Congolese Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries
6. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): RICHARD MULWA, Deputy vice-chancellor of Egerton University, Kenya
7. SOUNDBITE 6 (English): CAROLINE AMOR, Sales Team leader at EACLC
8. SOUNDBITES 7 (English): MAURICE MUGABOWAGAHUNDE, Governor of Rwanda's Northern Province
9. SOUNDBITE 8 (English): SYDNEY MWAMBA, Executive Director at Policy Monitoring and Research Centre in Zambia
10. various of China and Africa's cooperation

STORYLINE:

China, the world's largest developing country, and Africa, a continent home to a large number of developing countries, are joining hands to advance their respective modernization with distinctive features.

The Lagos-Ibadan Railway, a major project of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), started commercial operation in 2021.

The railway, constructed by a Chinese company, links several southwestern cities, helping ease public transportation and fuel goods movement in the country.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ADENIYI SALAUDEEN, Commuter
"I have had this experience before, going through the train from Ibadan to Lagos, which I really enjoyed."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MICHAEL EGBO, Businessman
"I have been using the train station for a while but I wanted my children to have the experience. It is a family vacation. The journey is smooth, hassle-free, and fast."
   
The Eastern Industrial Zone (EIZ), about 40 km southeast of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, was built and operated by Chinese companies.

Now, 149 enterprises of different sectors are operating in the zone.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): SANDOKAN DEBEBE, CEO of Ethiopia's Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC)
"Through the origin of the idea, the construction, the operation stage, in each phase and stage, the role of Chinese investors and the Chinese government is very significant. This trust will be growing in the future."

Inside the China-Aid Agriculture Technology Demonstration Center in the Republic of the Congo, machines are automatically cleaning, peeling, slicing, and grinding cassava, an important staple food in Africa.
   
In the central African country, cassava crops have long been peeled by hand and then soaked in water before being dried and ground -- a process that might take several days.
   
SOUNDBITE 4 (French): PAUL VALENTIN NGOBO, Congolese Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries
We all know if there is one thing we can't take from the Chinese, it is their willingness to share. The recent cooperation result is the Agriculture Technology Demonstration Center (ATDC). It is the channel through which the transfer of knowledge can take place. China is reliable and credible for us.

According to China's minister of agriculture and rural affairs, over the past decade, China has set up 24 agricultural technology demonstration centers in Africa, which have increased local crop yields by an average of 30 to 60 percent, benefiting more than 1 million farmers in African countries.

SOUNDBITE 5 (English): RICHARD MULWA, Deputy vice-chancellor of Egerton University, Kenya
"Cooperation with China is not a one-sided cooperation. I feel it's a mutually beneficial cooperation for us. They are also helping the country to ensure these technologies make sense to farmers' fields and farmers' economic well-being. "
   
A Chinese-built commercial and logistics center in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's commercial hub, is slated to begin trial operations in July 2024. It has created thousands of jobs for local people and is expected to boost the East African country's economic growth.

SOUNDBITE 6 (English): CAROLINE AMOR, Sales Team leader at EACLC
"We believe this is going to be the biggest project that has ever happened in Tanzania, but at the same time we do believe after finalizing all of this a lot of Tanzanian people will be able to get jobs from here."

In Rwanda, a Luban Workshop, jointly established by colleges in China and Rwanda, offers students training in skills such as telecommunications, smart manufacturing, and e-commerce.

SOUNDBITES 7 (English): MAURICE MUGABOWAGAHUNDE, Governor of Rwanda's Northern Province
"This is going to help our students to be competitive not only inside Rwanda but also on the international market once they finish their studies because they will be familiar with modern equipment other students had no chance to use. That is why we are very thankful for this cooperation between Rwanda and China."

SOUNDBITE 8 (English): SYDNEY MWAMBA, Executive Director at Policy Monitoring and Research Centre in Zambia
We see that China intends to train about 500 principals and high-caliber teachers of vocational colleges every year, and 10,000 technical personnel with both Chinese language and vocational skills for Africa. So that aspect basically, is a commendable step in terms of enhancing the skills, and reducing the level of illiteracy on the continent."
   
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nairobi.
(XHTV)