People’s Republic of China–PAGGW: cooperation opportunities under review
April 17, 2017
“The Great Green Wall is an exciting programme that will open up all possibilities in the future,” wrote Prof. Enge Wang, Vice-President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in the PAGGW’s guest book at the end of a working visit to the headquarters of the Pan-African Organisation.
Nouakchott, 17 April 2017 — A delegation from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led by Enge Wang — President Emeritus, professor of physics at Peking University and Vice-President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences — carried out a working visit on Saturday 15 April 2017 to the headquarters of the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall (PAGGW) in Nouakchott. The delegation, introduced by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, His Excellency Mr Zhang Jianguo, was received by the Agency’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Abdoulaye Dia, accompanied by the Organisation’s staff.
After the customary courtesies, the two parties held a working session during which a comprehensive presentation of the PAGGW was given by the Scientific and Technical Directorate. It focused on the African response to combating desertification and land degradation. The participants in the meeting were thus informed of the investment made by the Saharo-Sahelian States in the Great Green Wall Initiative.
The Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Ambassador and those accompanying them on this visit expressed interest in the priority portfolios and programmes thus presented and implemented by the PAGGW. To this end, Prof. Wang declared that this visit constituted “an opportunity to learn about the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall,” adding that it marked “the beginning of a collaboration through the presence of Chinese experts tasked with identifying the desirable areas of cooperation.” The Chinese delegation was indeed composed of high-level specialists in the fields of climate change, the fight against desertification, biodiversity and water access issues.
Warmly thanking his hosts and the Mauritanian Government for the honour of such a visit paid to the PAGGW, the Executive Secretary underlined the meaning he intends to give to the future collaboration with China in these terms: “We believe that with the follow-up of all these matters by His Excellency, we will succeed in obtaining China’s support… Beyond training, we also need logistical support to carry out all the income-generating activities on the ground, as well as reforestation, land restoration, and so on. For this we need technical, scientific and logistical support.” Prof. Abdoulaye Dia also thanked the Vice-President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for the initiative and the facilities provided for the training, in summer 2017 in China, of the PAGGW’s technical officials in the fight against desertification.
Prof. Enge Wang signing the PAGGW guest book
The working session ended with the symbolic handover of the 2016–2020 Strategy document and a PAGGW decoration to the Chinese officials. It should be noted that, at the close of this visit, the Vice-President of the Academy reiterated the need for fruitful cooperation between China and the PAGGW in the fields of training, research and resource mobilisation through the appropriate channels and for the benefit of the Agency. He thus recorded in the guest book the following message of appreciation, translated from English: “It is a great honour for me to visit the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall. The Great Green Wall is an exciting programme that will open up all possibilities in the future. I look forward to seeing a collaboration established between the PAGGW and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the near future.” These words, written after a lively working session, reflect the mark of gratitude and support of the head of the Chinese institution towards the PAGGW and pave the way for a fruitful partnership between the two entities.
His Excellency Mr Zhang Jianguo, Ambassador of China, recording his message
