Fifty African experts—including university professors, research institute directors, and think tank presidents—participated in the seminar on “Chinese-style Modernization and African Development,” held from July 17 to 24, 2024, in China’s Shaanxi Province. Upon returning to their respective countries, some of them agreed to respond to our “Three Questions for the Xi’an Seminar Participants.” Today, we welcome the perspective of Mozambique s representative, Professor Tufaria Mussa.
Hello Professor Tufaria Mussa, you were Mozambique’s delegate at the Xi’an seminar on “Chinese-style Modernization and African Development.” Could you introduce yourself and share your impressions following this major event focused on implementing the six key objectives and ten strategic partnership actions between China and Africa? Hello Élisée Héribert-Label Adjovi. My name is Tufária Mussá. I am a lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, from Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, Mozambique. I had an academic background in veterinary medicine with a master and PhD in immunology. I speak portuguese, spanish and english. The Xi'an seminar was an open mind experience about the chinese culture, resilience, politics and developmemt. It gave me an opportunity also to meet my african brothers and sisters, and understand that we face similar challenges in our countries. Therefore, we need to reunite as african and work hard in different dimentions to achieve whatever is eastern or western level of modernization.
What proposals do you have for a Sino-African cooperation that is closer to the people, from the perspective of Mozambique? Mozambique faces food insecurity as a result in part of climate change, lack of modernization and incetives for agriculture. Overall the lack of food impacts health, labor, economy, education and ultimatly development of the country. I think that the cooperation with china should be strengthen in the agriculture sector for tecnology transfer and training of africans. Africa is a gold mine for agriculture and this comparative advantage should be exploited and advogated for the benefit of africans.
What are your thoughts on the Xi’an Think Tank initiative for follow-up on the Xi’an seminar? The Xian reflection group it is a good ideia. However, to impact decision makers, i think we should prepare a kind of policy brief or a paper ( from the reflections in different aspects of development and culture) to share with the representative members or the secretariat of FOCAC. This because although we can rise our voices and contribute for the china africa cooperation the decisions are made at other level.
Interview by Héribert-Label Élisée ADJOVI / Special envoy to Xi'an