Calls for deeper collaboration and more transparent communication defined the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum in Johannesburg, where experts stressed that the future of China–Africa cooperation hinges as much on shared understanding as on trade and investment.

The two-day which started on Thursday at the Houghton Hotel, concluded on Friday.

More than 200 participants from over 160 media outlets, think tanks and government organisations across 41 African countries, as well as representatives from China and the African Union, attended the forum, which explored the theme “Reforming Global Governance: New Roles and Visions for China–Africa Cooperation.”

During a roundtable discussion on Friday on the role of media and think tanks in advancing China–Africa economic and trade cooperation, speakers underscored the importance of communication, transparency and narrative building.

Yeama Sarah Thompson, managing director of the Sierra Leone News, said her experience reminded her that relationships “rarely falter because of disagreements. 

“They falter because of misunderstanding.”

“For China and Africa – partners bound by solidarity and shared development aspirations – the test of cooperation lies not only in trade or investment flows but in whether our people can see one another clearly, hear one another truthfully and understand one another deeply,” she said.

Thompson emphasised that the media and think tanks play a pivotal role.

“We are not merely storytellers or analysts. We are the architects of understanding,” she said. 

“Understanding rooted in accuracy, context, and trust is the true currency of sustainable cooperation.”

She added that narratives shape relationships, influence policy and determine whether citizens support reforms. 

Across Africa, credible information systems have accelerated development and helped rebuild trust.

Thompson said that more than half of African countries now have access-to-information frameworks, including South Africa’s Promotion of Access to Information Act and Sierra Leone’s Right to Access Information Act. Namibia and Zambia have also advanced transparency reforms, she said.

“These reforms remind us that transparency and public engagement are indispensable to development,” she said. 

Yet, she added, as physical infrastructure expands, the “architecture of understanding and public trust” must not be neglected.

She warned that deepening China–Africa cooperation has not always been matched by public comprehension, creating space for misinformation and geopolitical oversimplification. 

Ethical media, she said, can bridge this divide by translating complex policies, interrogating challenges and ensuring communication flows in both directions. 

Think tanks reinforce this by providing evidence-based analysis.

Thompson proposed institutionalising mechanisms for knowledge exchange, including a joint China–Africa public information and exchange lab to promote collaborative fact-checking, cross-cultural reporting and community-level research.

“As Sierra Leone advances digital transformation, one lesson remains constant,” she said. 

“Digital progress without clear communication produces confusion and hopelessness.”

The director of the Think Tank Department at the China–Africa Economics and Trade Promotion Council Chen Tian, outlined practical cooperation efforts. 

She said her 150-member team, which includes African professionals, works across sectors such as health, mining and agriculture.

“We look at local expertise and primary themes each year and produce reports adopted by the Chinese government and several African governments,” she said.

The council also works in Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania on industrial projects including rubber harvesting, waste recycling and AI diagnostics. 

Each team, she said, spends at least six months in local communities developing project roadmaps.

Tian added that the organisation facilitates exchanges involving Chinese companies and African professionals and hosts major expos in both China and Africa. 

She said the demand for China–Africa cooperation and overseas research expertise is rising, saying it reflects a “stronger political goal.”

Tian stressed that cooperation must be mutual and grounded in Africa’s long-term strategies.

“We must look at Africa’s five-year development plans and combine short-term projects with long-term strategy,” she said. “Use Chinese experience to support Africa’s 2030 and 2063 development agendas.”

Meanwhile, the managing partner of Zimbabwe Now Monica Mpambawashe, stressed the importance of how media and think tanks frame China–Africa relations. 

She said that while Zimbabwe enjoys a trade surplus with China, showing the partnership can be mutually beneficial, public perception of China remains low.

“This indicates we have work to do,” she said.

She argued that conducting trade largely in US dollars creates burdens for ordinary people. 

Countries such as Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya are already taking steps to convert some debt to yuan, which she said reduces costs and makes trade more accessible.

Mpambawashe also called for digitising trade platforms so African entrepreneurs can more easily access opportunities in China.

“How do we disseminate these opportunities to people on the ground?” she asked, noting that many citizens are unaware of zero-tariff export provisions.

She stressed the need for Africa and China to benchmark media practices and tailor communication to each other’s audiences. 

She warned that journalism is sometimes influenced by funding with anti-China agendas.

“We need capacity building so that skills do not come packaged with agendas that work against the development of Africa-China relations,” she said.

IOL

Source link