Online Reporter
Sharon Jiyamwa
THE Harare Forum for Africa is championing an alternative approach to knowledge production that draws on the development experiences of China and African countries to promote more autonomous, equitable and sustainable development in the Global South.
This was said by Harare Forum for Africa chairperson Professor Yuezhi Zhao during the opening of the Third Harare Forum for Africa Expert Seminar held at the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC) in Harare last Friday.
Professor Zhao, who is also Humanities Chair Professor at Tsinghua University, addressed the seminar virtually from China.
The seminar, which ran under the theme, “Technology Transformation and Global South Modernisation: Technology Transfer, Capacity Building and China-Africa Development Cooperation”, brought together scholars and practitioners from China and Zimbabwe to exchange development experiences and deepen China-Africa cooperation.
Professor Zhao said the forum was more than an academic gathering, as it sought to promote practical partnerships between Chinese and African participants.
“The conference is not just another typical academic conference,” she said.
“Rather, inspired by Epistemologies of the South and visions for alternative modernity that challenges Western hegemony, we aim to make the Forum an ongoing process of candid dialogue, experience-sharing and practical partnership building between Chinese and African participants.”
Professor Zhao said the timing of this year’s forum was significant, coming as 2026 had been designated the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
She said mutual understanding, respect and trust among citizens were critical foundations for successful technology transfer and development cooperation.
The seminar featured presentations by academics and experts from Tsinghua University, Sichuan University, Xiangtan University and the University of Zimbabwe, focusing on areas including green ecotourism, agricultural technology and the digital empowerment of cultural industries.
Agriculture emerged as a key area of discussion, with speakers emphasising the need for African countries to develop local capacity to adopt, adapt and create technologies suited to their own circumstances.
Professor Chen Jie of the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences said agriculture remained an important driver of economic growth and called for China-Africa cooperation to focus on strengthening the capacity of African farmers and institutions.
“The opportunity before us is not simply to transfer technology to Africa. It is to build African capabilities to use, adapt, create, own and eventually lead in technology,” he said.
Professor Chen said building local capacity would enable farmers and institutions to sustain and scale up innovations instead of relying indefinitely on external support.
Speakers also stressed that China’s development experience could not simply be replicated in Africa without taking into account local conditions and national priorities.
They said technology transfer and development cooperation should be adapted to the specific needs of individual countries to ensure sustainable and meaningful results.
The forum is expected to continue providing a platform for dialogue between African and Chinese scholars, policymakers and practitioners on development models, technology and capacity building
Established in July 2024, the Harare Forum for Africa is an annual dialogue, co-initiated by the China Zimbabwe Exchange Centre and the School of Journalism and Communication of Tsinghua University. HFA is an interdisciplinary platform dedicated to promoting dialogue and cooperation between Africa and China. Through academic exchange, policy dialogue and practical cooperation, the Forum brings together scholars, policymakers and business practitioners to share development experiences, deepen mutual understanding, and contribute to modernisation and sustainable development across the Global South.
