Financial help yields homegrown development and solutions that will have a lasting positive impact on continent

Last year was a momentous one and a benchmark for China in its implementation of its 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) for national economic and social development.

African states were just as anxious - and in anticipation - about what their largest export partner would have for them, and what they might expect from this year's annual discussion. The states were envisioning Chinese policies with double benefits, both globally and across the continent.

Sino-African relations have been robust so far and are only expected to be enhanced. After the deliberations, it can be foreseen that there are greater opportunities for Africa in the year ahead. During the two sessions that concluded last month, the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang emphasized how China will increase its cooperation with developing states and provide concrete solutions in tackling key issues facing them. He further reiterated that China's policy is focused on economic interdependence that is of mutual benefit and equitable for all states involved.

Africa is one of the principal areas of focus for Chinese tourists and investors. Starting this year, China's focus is on advancing the supply-side of its rapidly expanding economy, and African states will benefit greatly from their partnership with the world's second-largest economy. They can harmonize their development strategies and push forward the much-needed industrialization of their states.

The African Union's Agenda 2063 aims for a continent free of vices - no epidemics, war or poverty - and a prosperous continent. African states have risen economically and seen development in cross-border transportation infrastructure, with the unmatched help of their Asian partner. Long-term Chinese developmental investment is key for African development and for Agenda 2063 to become a reality.

After the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2015, China-Africa cooperation took a turn for a brighter future on the continent. There will be mutual cooperation, backing and other moves for the betterment of both partners.

As China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasizes, China aims to be Africa's biggest and most reliable companion for industrialization and overall development of the continent - development that is homegrown, using a bottom-up approach, with solutions that will have lasting positive impacts on its population.

With China already having disbursed $30 billion (28 billion euros; 24 billion) of its pledged funding support to the continent, there will be a shift in China-Africa cooperation. The focus in the coming years will be sustainable development. The factors that contribute to this include policy reforms for government-led economies, and more market-driven cooperation in the manufacturing and production capacity of African states - as well as operational changes.

States like Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia have seen the impact the brotherly relations with China are having on their infrastructure development. Phase 1 of Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway is complete and ready for launch, with locomotives arriving from Beijing earlier this week. This will address transportation needs in the growing economy of East Africa. In West Africa, the story of smiles is similar, with the Abuja-Kaduna railway having been completed and the Lagos-Ibadan having broken ground.

This year is a crucial one for launching the cooperative plans of the two trading partners, with a lot of emphasis laid on the funding support China is providing to the continent.

Despite stronger controls and closer management of monetary policy - which were deliberated at the forum - China's GDP forecast for the year will be higher than anticipated, and the nation is expected to continue with a powerful economy in 2017. With the unparalleled economic partnership China has forged with Africa, the 54 nations that make up the continent are looking forward to another year of better-leveraged economic ties.

The author is a Research Consultant in Nairobi, Kenya.

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