Empowering women with education: a shared goal of China, Africa

Educating girls remains a challenging task for Africa. 

Data of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) show that in Sub-Saharan Africa, the completion rate at the lower secondary education level for girls in the region was, on average, 47 percent, and 27 percent at the upper secondary level in 2023.

On the other side of the planet, a project initiated by China's Children and Teenagers' Fund has sponsored over 4.2 million poverty-stricken girls in the country over the last 35 years to go to school and achieve their dreams.

As leaders from African countries gathered in Beijing to deepen cooperation at the ongoing Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the topic of education for girls and women has yet again attracted the attention of both sides, especially that of the leaders' spouses.

On Thursday, Peng Liyuan, the wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping and also UNESCO special envoy for the advancement of education for girls and women, was joined by over 20 spouses of African leaders in Beijing to attend the forum for a meeting on the topic.

China and Africa should work together to promote fairer, more inclusive and higher-quality education for girls and women in the entire world, Peng said during her speech at the event.

In fact, China has been sharing its experience and offering support in education to African countries for decades.

The All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) has established different levels of exchanges and contacts with more than 100 women institutions and organizations in 53 African countries that have established diplomatic relations with China.

Over the last 10 years or so, nearly 500 women from over 30 African countries have participated in the training classes hosted by ACWF.

During his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of this year's FOCAC summit, Xi promised to offer 60,000 extra training opportunities to African women and youth.

More broadly, many students from Africa have come to China for higher learning thanks to the scholarships offered by the Chinese government and higher education institutions, and many more have learned the Chinese language and history at Confucius Institutes for better career prospects in China.

The Luban Workshop has been offering vocational training to promote youth employment and improve the quality of life of the African people since its establishment of the first such platform in Djibouti in 2019.

Recent years have also seen more collaboration between the universities of China and Africa. For instance, the China-Africa Universities 20+20 Cooperation Plan in 2010, which links 20 African universities with 20 Chinese universities, has been scaled up to "China-Africa 100 Universities Cooperation Program."

Education is the key to sustainable development.

Data from the World Bank show sub-Saharan Africa must double down on its investments in girls' educational opportunities that lead to a well-prepared labor force before it could harness a demographic dividend amid multiple crises facing the region, including conflicts, climate change and a population that is projected to double by 2050.

China's message at this year's FOCAC remains clear. It will work closer with African countries to make sure no one is left behind in the pursuit of a more modernized world.

(Cover: The Thematic Meeting on Women's Education of the FOCAC summit, Beijing, China, September 5, 2024. /CMG)