African journalists on China's Two Sessions

China's most important annual political event, the Two Sessions, is now underway in Beijing.

The Two Sessions are the annual meetings of China's top legislature, the National People's Congress, and the country's top political advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Journalists from across the globe, including many from Africa, have gathered in Beijing to cover the event and examine the global implications of China's policy agenda.

Fortune Abang, a journalist with the News Agency of Nigeria and Satyen Bhuruth, a journalist with the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation, share their perspectives on the lessons and practices that Africa could adapt from this year's gatherings to support its own development priorities.

China Africa Talk: Is this your first time covering China's Two Sessions? What policy signal stands out to you this year? If you've covered before, what feels different in 2026?

Fortune Abang: I was here in 2022 and it's been a back-to-back experience. It's been a very wonderful session to realize that there have been remarkable achievements and the scorecard is laudable.

What really stood out is the consistency in the planning. The plans are always projected and they are always realized. You can see a lot of energy being put in place to ensure the plans are really detailed.

And at the end of the day, you discover that nothing is left undone. So that is really worthy of emulation and it's a big plus for China.

Satyen Bhuruth: It is my first time in China for the Two Sessions. Last year I was here for four months and during that time, we were exposed to Chinese history and culture and how China became the powerhouse it is today.

We were also given a glimpse of how the five-year plans work. And this time I had the chance to come and see it all by myself. You always see those images on TV, and today being part of the event is something wonderful for me.

I think the five-year plans not only shape the path forward, but also ask questions like: Are we lagging behind somewhere? Is there something that is not going on as good as it should? Is there something we should refocus on, drop or add?

These are things that work very well. And I think this is something that should inspire many countries to have plans for the coming five, ten, fifteen, and even twenty-five years, so that they can prepare for the future and shape the future for the younger generation.

China Africa Talk: As China begins its 15th Five Year plan, which development strategies interest you the most? What experience do you think your country can draw from?

Satyen Bhuruth: The plans that China has are not only for China itself, but also for the outside world. We know that China and Africa have been collaborating for the last 70 years of diplomatic ties.

China has a huge advance over the rest of the world in some areas. The areas where I think China could help us the most are technology, solar energy, green energy, electric cars, computing power, and AI. These are the sectors that are going to dominate the world in the coming years.

Education-wise, Africa has grown a lot. Most Africans have a good level of education. What we need now is more support in some complex areas where we lack research and development facilities.

China Africa Talk: China has vowed again at the Two Sessions for its high level opening up. One example of China's such commitment is its zero tariff treatment to 53 African countries. How do you evaluate this move? What opportunities does it bring to Nigeria?

Fortune Abang: This is more than just generosity. In an age where some parties are limited either by resources or by barriers one way or another, you have a strong partner offering you a hand, the strength and the ladder to climb. It is something worth celebrating.

It means China has conducted an impact assessment and understands some of the root causes of underdevelopment. China is helping to guide partners in the right direction toward where they need to be. I think African countries should embrace this opportunity wholeheartedly, because it could help them move to the next level of development.

China Africa Talk: This year marks 105 years since the founding of the Communist Party of China. What lessons can Africa learn from the CPC's governance?

Satyen Bhuruth: In short, we will never be able to replicate China exactly. We discussed this among African colleagues when we were in China last year. We asked ourselves: Why can't we become the next China? Why can't we achieve similar success?

One of the biggest challenges Africa faces is language diversity. The continent is divided among English-speaking, French-speaking, and Portuguese-speaking countries, and there is no single language policy. China is vast, but everyone speaks Chinese, which helps with unity.

Africa also experienced colonization, and many countries were left in poor condition. Some are still struggling to rebuild and assert themselves. African countries also have different political systems.

So for me, we have a lot to learn from China, but it will take time. It's a long journey to achieve what China has achieved.