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Republic of Congo should prioritize agriculture to shift from oil dependency: president

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      Republic of Congo should prioritize agriculture to shift from oil dependency: president

      2024-09-20 22:38 Last Updated At:09-21 01:17

      President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo has envisioned a future where agriculture plays a pivotal role in shifting the country away from its heavy reliance on oil and toward a more diversified economy.

      In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in early September, Nguesso expressed immense pride in the completion of the No. 1 National Highway, a vital road in the Republic of Congo, emphasizing that it stands as a testament to the close collaboration between Congo and China, rooted in the vision of the Belt and Road Initiative.

      "Indeed. I'm glad that you visited this big project. The construction of this road faced unprecedented challenges. Back in colonial times, we would never have been able to complete such a project. Today, as a result of close cooperation between the Republic of Congo and China, we are very proud to have built this road. All of this is based on the blueprint of the Belt and Road Initiative," he said,

      When talking about the economic landscape of the Republic of Congo, where oil remains a cornerstone industry, he outlined a plan to develop agriculture by harnessing the untapped potential of the country's abundant arable land, water resources, and sunlight.

      "I want to say that the Republic of Congo should not rely solely on oil in the future. It has more potential than that. We have more than 10 million hectares of arable land, and less than one-tenth has been developed. We have abundant water resources and abundant sunshine all year round. Thus, we place agriculture at a strategic level as a top priority of the development plan from 2022 to 2026. It covers various fields, such as fishery”, the President said.

      He emphasized the importance of developing an agricultural system resilient to climate change, referencing his in-depth discussion with President Xi Jinping on reducing reliance on natural rainfall through the promotion of irrigation systems.

      "I had an in-depth discussion with President Xi on how to build an agricultural system that does not rely merely on natural rainfall in this country, which has fertile land, rich water resources, and constant sunshine. Given the challenges posed by climate change, agriculture should not rely on irregular rainfall, even though water resources are abundant. For this reason, we are promoting a key agricultural development project focused on constructing irrigation systems," he said.

      In early September, Nguesso visited Beijing for an official state visit to China and to attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

      Republic of Congo should prioritize agriculture to shift from oil dependency: president

      Republic of Congo should prioritize agriculture to shift from oil dependency: president

      Next Article

      Transformation, upgrading of China's manufacturing investment accelerates in 2024

      2025-01-20 22:37 Last Updated At:23:07

      China in 2024 saw a faster transformation and upgrading of investment in manufacturing industry, a strong growth of investment in high-tech industries, and a rebound of investment in infrastructure construction, according to the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Saturday.

      The investment in manufacturing industry grew by 9.2 percent compared to the previous year, or six percentage points higher than the growth rate of overall investment. In particular, investment in technological upgrades of manufacturing industry increased by eight percent, or 4.8 percentage points higher than overall investment growth.

      Private investment in manufacturing grew by 10.8 percent, driving up overall private investment by 5.3 percentage points.

      The structure of investment continued to optimize. Investment in high-tech industries rose eight percent compared to the previous year, which was 4.8 percentage points higher than the growth rate of overall investment. In particular, investment in high-tech manufacturing grew by seven percent, and that in high-tech service industry grew by 10.2 percent. Investments related to high-tech industries, such as aerospace equipment manufacturing and professional technical services, increased by more than 30 percent.

      In 2025, China plans to moderately increase central government budgetary investments, issue ultra-long-term special treasury bonds and local government special bonds, and enhance efforts to support projects for implementing major national strategies and building security capacity in key areas, as well as implementation of large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in programs, with the aim of stimulating private investment activity through various measures, effectively leveraging government investment to drive social investment, improving investment efficiency, and promoting steady growth in investments.

      Transformation, upgrading of China's manufacturing investment accelerates in 2024

      Transformation, upgrading of China's manufacturing investment accelerates in 2024

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