China, Africa intelligentsia share thoughts on harnessing GGI potentials

Chinese and African intelligentsia have shared thoughts, insights on how best to harness the potentials of cooperation and coordination under the framework of Global Governance Initiative (GGI) proposed by Chinese President, Xi Jinping.

The thinkers comprising scholars, experts, researchers on China-Africa affairs were in Abuja Thursday to discuss on how best Africa can leverage on the provisions of Global Governance Initiative at a One-Day-Seminar jointly organized by the Centre for Contemporary China-Africa Research and Centre for China Studies with the theme: Opportunities for China-Africa Cooperation under the Global Governance Initiative (GGI).

While delivering welcome remarks, Counsellor of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nigeria, Dong Hairong said the GGI was closely aligned with the inherent needs of China-Africa and China-Nigeria cooperation, noting it was expected to serve as a new platform and a new opportunity for reforming the global governance system and transforming the global order, which would benefit all nations, including the global south.

Dong said, “China has been and is always willing to cooperate, work with African friends, including Nigeria, under the framework of GGI to build a more just and equitable global governance system. To promote reforms in the UN Security Council and the international financial architecture.

“To address the under-representation of the global south and to correct the historical injustice, to make the existing international system and international institutions better at taking action and working effectively, to set up coordination among multilateral bodies, and to prioritize consensus building in such areas as the international financial institutions, artificial intelligence, cyberspace, climate change, trade, and outer space to bring about early harvests’” Dong stated.

Dong expressed hope that the seminar will create more thought resonance and bring more idea recognition for China and Nigeria to work together to pursue a community with a shared future for mankind.

Speaking on “GGI and Imperative for Reforms in Global Institutions” Director, Centre for Contemporary China-Africa Research, Prof. Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim who said the goal of global governance was to find and manage collective solutions to global challenges, noted that the system aims to facilitate decision-making and co-operation among international actors, including states, intergovernmental organisations, business, non-governmental organisations and other parts of civil society.

Ibrahim stressed the need for Africa to reposition themselves to better fit into global governance: vehemently fight corruption, embrace rule of law, democracy and provide a people centered approach for development.

While stating that China and Africa should continue to speak with one voice, representing China-Africa interest at the international level, he urged all developing nations to join the bandwagon and support China’s initiatives for a better world and for a shared future for humanity.

Dr. Mohammed H. Sani of Baze University, Abuja speaking on “Positioning Nigeria as a Future Global Player: Opportunities under the GGI” said that GGI provides a platform for Nigeria to move from regional power to global player, noting that by 2030, Nigeria can become diplomatic leader, Standard-setter and Hub of innovation. He said that strategic engagement of today would ensure Nigeria’s future global clout.

Also speaking, Director of Centre for China Studies, Charles Onunaiju said China took a bold step to bridge the lacuna by proposing the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) given the fact of obvious deficit in global governance which was more pronounced in the evident shortage of the voices and impacts of the Global South in the essential mechanisms for global governance.

Onunaiju called for establishment of Nigeria-China Joint Committee on the Exploration and Advancement of the GGI, a platform to leverage the existing inter-government committee with possible expansion to include Think-Tanks from both sides that should be immediately empaneled to design strategic roadmap and action plans for the Global Governance Initiative.

Director of Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Dr. Sam Amadi while sharing his thought said that China should be a model to Nigeria and the rest of African countries, not only or mostly on the GGI, rather mostly on the lessons of economic transformation through techno-industrialization.

According to Amadi, “When we become rich and stable like China, we will make better leverage of the transformative global governance initiative that China wisely promotes. That new world order favours China. It will favour Nigeria if we first learn the right lessons from China and become rich and stable like China” he noted.

Recall that Chinese President, Xi Jinping recently launched the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Plus meeting, aiming to strengthen and improve the current global governance mechanism. GGI emphasizes extensive consultation, joint contributions, and shared benefits to build a more equitable governance system worldwide.