Africa-Press – Eritrea. African countries have been urged to embrace the recently proposed Global Governance Initiative by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Chinese leader spoke while addressing the “Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Plus” meeting in Tianjin, a port city in northern China, where the SCO hosted its largest summit in its 24-year history, attended by leaders from over 20 countries and heads of 10 international organisations.
The Chinese head of state proposed the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), urging countries to collaborate in creating a fairer and more equitable global governance system.
The GGI is the fourth major global initiative proposed by Xi in recent years, following the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilisation Initiative.
Xi emphasised five principles of the GGI — respecting sovereign equality, adhering to international rule of law, practising multilateralism, advocating the people-centred approach and focusing on taking tangible actions.
Days after the SCO summit, experts speaking at an event organised by CGTN Kiswahili Nairobi Studio — the Symposium on the Global Governance Initiative for African Countries and the Global South — shared reflections on President Xi’s speech and China’s global role, while offering perspectives on multilateral cooperation, sustainable development and the contributions of Africa and the Global South in building a more equitable world order.
Prof Patrick Maluki, chair of the Department of Diplomacy and International Studies, University of Nairobi, termed the new move by Xi as a new avenue to foster Africa-China cooperation.
“For decades, African nations have been underrepresented in international institutions, decision-making, trade rules, financial architecture, and so forth. The GGI’s emphasis on sovereign equality and multilateral reform offers a mechanism to address these imbalances. The GGI will help create a global balance in areas like security initiatives, and the Global Civilisation Initiative, and outline a pathway toward an international order that is inclusive, equitable, and collaborative,” Prof Maluki.
He was speaking during a Global Governance Initiative for African countries and the Global Symposium organised by the China Media Group in Nairobi.
“Beijing has been one of the biggest investors in infrastructure, energy, and technology across Africa for decades. But more importantly, we should tap into China’s vast technology to boost its railways, roads, energy projects, ports and digital fibre networks to create employment for our youth,” Maluki said.
Cavince Adhere, an international relations scholar focusing on China-Africa cooperation, pointed out that China’s proposal is set to rethink how countries cooperate internationally, anchored in respect for sovereignty, promotion of the common good and action-oriented cooperation.
“The time for African states to leverage China’s expertise is now, and we must understand that their technology can help in ensuring value addition in our resources, grow our infrastructure, digital economy, renewable energy, and trade to foster modernisation, job creation, and connectivity. We can also benefit when Chinese investment and technology are applied to bridge bottlenecks in digital inclusion, green transition, health, agriculture and trade infrastructure,” Mr Adhere said.
President Jinping’s Global Governance Initiative offers a timely opportunity for African states to claim a stronger role in shaping the rules of the global system.
Through embracing GGI, cooperating closely with China, African countries can accelerate infrastructure development, deepen trade and industrialisation, safeguard their interests, and contribute to a more equitable international order.
These gains will not be automatic, but with clear policies, transparency, local empowerment, and regional cooperation, the GGI can be a lever toward long-term economic prosperity and geopolitical influence for Africa.
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