Ethiopia should be a model for relations with China. Today, it is reported that there are more than 400 Chinese manufacturing investments here, in Ethiopia, and the goods they produce are exported into the US and sourced by some of the major American buyers.

Why should the rest of Africa not look up to that model and get the support of China to develop same and contribute to a great industrialization drive on the continent?

Senegal has built a special economic enclave to attract Chinese and other manufacturing companies. Rwanda, Mauritius, and South Africa are all making steady progress in manufacturing and value addition.

We must take advantage of AfCFTA, grow our value chains, and get ready for increased international trade. Africa’s largest exporter to China was South Africa in 2020. Next was Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nigeria remains the largest buyer of Chinese goods, about $23 billion, followed by South Africa and Egypt.

Clearly, Africa’s relations with China are here to stay. Africans must take advantage and work to build our economies through the cooperation we have built over the decades with China.

• An extract from John Mahama’s address on evolving Africa-China relations delivered at the 2022 Abuja Forum, organised by the Gusau Institute and the China Zhejiang Normal University.