World
11:50, 27-Dec-2017
Tanzanian foreign minister: Combining experiences is important
["africa"]
Share
Copied
By CGTN's Dialogue
“Not only China and Europe, but also North America and Australia. European countries have an early start in Africa already. I really don’t see the Chinese presence there is a kind of competition to European countries,” Tanzanian Foreign Minister Augustine Mahiga told CGTN’s Dialogue.
During his first visit to China, Mahiga said there is enough room for everybody to interact and cooperate with African countries to counteract a growing number of voices claiming Europe is losing its influence on the continent to a growing number of Chinese companies and businesses.
“I don’t think there should be copying. If you begin to copy, you make mistakes. In Africa, we started in a false way by copying what we thought was from Western practices. But it was a disaster. The challenge of development and proper development is to get ideas and to indigenize those ideas with local content,” he said.
“The challenge for Africa, which also an opportunity is to have ideas and experience from both worlds. If we can get the best from both worlds, that would be very advantageous, but that is a challenge to our young people and thinkers that we look indigenize and embrace that is relevant and convenient.”
Mahiga further noted that the Tanzanian education system needs to function in such a way that it can absorb vital information but reject things not relevant to the country’s culture, its needs and economic development.
Dialogue with Yang Rui is a 30-minute current affairs talk show on CGTN. It airs daily at 7.30 p.m. BJT (1130GMT), with rebroadcasts at 3.30 a.m. (1930GMT) and 11.30 a.m. (0330GMT).
9419km