Tan Media Article： Africa has benefited a lot from the Belt and Road Initiative.

　　The reference news network reported on October 30.On October 24th, the website of Tanzania’s Daily News published an article entitled "How the Belt and Road Initiative is Changing the African Economy" by George Montu. The article is compiled as follows:

　　This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative.

　　Through infrastructure investment and regional cooperation, the Belt and Road Initiative has enhanced the connectivity between China and the rest of the world.

　　It should be pointed out that although the Belt and Road Initiative was put forward by China, it belongs to the whole world and benefits all mankind. Empirical evidence shows that the Belt and Road Initiative has accelerated the economic development of African countries and promoted regional integration in Africa.

　　In the 10 years since the "Belt and Road Initiative" was put forward, the cumulative trade volume between China and Africa has exceeded 2 trillion US dollars. As direct flights have been opened between Nairobi and Changsha, a city in central China, Kenyan flowers can be sold to China businessmen in Changsha and its surrounding areas.

　　According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, China’s investment in Africa has grown steadily. In the first half of this year, China’s new direct investment in Africa reached US$ 1.82 billion, a year-on-year increase of 4.4%. At present, there are more than 3,000 China enterprises "deeply ploughing into Africa", and private enterprises account for more than 70% of China’s non-enterprises and they are the pillars of China’s investment in Africa.

　　Statistics from Tanzania Investment Center show that from 1997 to August 2023, thousands of China projects were registered in Tanzania, creating about 150,000 jobs.

　　The Belt and Road Initiative has contributed to poverty reduction in Africa. According to the World Bank’s forecast, by 2030, the "Belt and Road" international cooperation will lift 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty and 32 million people out of moderate poverty.

　　Since the beginning of this century, China has built more than 6,000 kilometers of railways, 6,000 kilometers of highways, nearly 20 ports and more than 80 large-scale power facilities in Africa.

　　In Tanzania, we see that China contractors are undertaking many flagship infrastructure projects, including the fifth and sixth sections of Tanzania Central Line Standard Gauge Railway, dodoma Msarato International Airport, Kigongo-Busisi Bridge and so on.

　　These strategic infrastructure projects will greatly facilitate the flow of goods and people in related fields, reduce energy consumption and telecommunications costs, and improve Tanzania’s investment environment. Despite the aforementioned benefits, some westerners claim that China is using the Belt and Road Initiative to exploit Africa. They fabricated concepts such as "debt trap diplomacy" and "opaque pricing" to tarnish the image of the "Belt and Road Initiative".

　　These accusations are groundless. Look at Africa’s infrastructure. The Belt and Road Initiative is helping Africa achieve transformation, and no African country has fallen into the so-called "debt trap". Over the years, African countries have failed to make progress due to backward infrastructure and the lack of willingness of traditional partners to help finance important infrastructure construction.

　　However, since China became an economic power, it has been actively involved in providing assistance to the strategic infrastructure construction for promoting economic growth in African countries.

　　Because of the effectiveness of the Belt and Road Initiative, Africa’s traditional development partners who have been exploiting for a long time find it difficult to compete with this initiative proposed by China, because it is based on long-term friendship and win-win cooperation.

　　Obviously, the Belt and Road Initiative provides a platform for African low-and middle-income economies to achieve remarkable growth in infrastructure construction, job creation and trade opportunities.

　　As Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan said during his meeting with the Supreme Leader of China president in Johannesburg in August this year, Tanzania and other developing countries have benefited a lot from the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.

　　We Africans know what we need and who our true friends are. The denigration of the Belt and Road Initiative by some Westerners will not affect our judgment on this grand strategy put forward by China but shared by all mankind. (Compile/sha li)