The China-Africa Innovation Cooperation Day was held on Friday at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, bringing together senior African and Chinese officials, experts, and technologists under the theme “New Opportunities for Innovation Cooperation: Joining Hands to Realize Modernization.”
The event, co-organized by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology, the African Union, and the Chinese Mission to the AU, spotlighted the deepening cooperation between China and Africa in science, technology, and innovation.
Yin Hejun, China’s Minister of Science and Technology, emphasised that innovation cooperation with Africa forms a central axis in the broader China-Africa partnership. He called such collaboration “transformational, not transactional,” and urged joint work toward an “all-weather community with a shared future.”
From the African side, Gaspard Banyankimbona, AU Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, declared that science and technology are “essential drivers of resilience, inclusive growth, and dignity.” He pointed to China’s advances in digital infrastructure, agriculture, and water management as models that African nations can adapt in contextually meaningful ways.
Ethiopia’s Belete Molla, Minister of Innovation and Technology, framed the China-Africa partnership in innovation as a hallmark of South–South cooperation. He described it as a partnership that “reshapes futures and redefines development narratives.”
The Innovation Cooperation Day also included an exhibition and seminars focusing on new energy, sustainable development, and digital transformation, providing a platform for knowledge exchange and showcasing technology solutions from China and African innovators.
