Workshop on Poverty Policy and Practice for African Countries Successfully Completed

Between July 5th and 19th 2006, IPRCC successfully convened the Workshop on Poverty Policy and Practice for African Countries. It coincided with the 50th Anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between China and Africa, to add to the government celebrations and to honor the commitments of training for developing countries made by the government and the President. Based on the two international workshops in December last year and June this year, the workshop for African countries aimed to disseminating Chinese experience with poverty reduction, expanding collaboration and enriching friendship.
I Basic facts
First, participants. The 19 participants to the workshops came from 12 African countries, namely, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Liberia, Mauritius, Namibia, Sierra Leon, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and etc. 11 participants among them from Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leon, Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe were here for the first international workshop in December last year. For the other countries, that was the first time they had their nationals attending the workshops conducted by IPRCC, which should enhance the profile of China in poverty reduction and intensify collaboration with international community.
　　Second, curriculum design and field trip. Apart from the routine subjects, IPRCC introduced the One Body Two Wings Strategy and invited poverty reduction officers at the first front to present the three cases of Village-Based Participatory Strategy in Gansu Province, Training for Labor Transfer in Henan Province and Industrialization in Hubei Province. The field trip to Gunagxi Province covered Menghua Village of Guilin Municipality, Dazhai Village as an exemplary of village-based development, some sites of industrialization and agro-technique application (e.g. bio-gas) projects and local resorts. The field trip was accompanied by introduction to the practice and achievements by Guangxi Province in terms of poverty reduction, World Bank South-West Project of Poverty Reduction, Immigration of Guangxi Province.
　　Third, resource persons and forms of lectures. The lecturers were composed of domestic government officers and project managers experienced with poverty reduction practice and excellent at the theories as well as those from international organizations who are good at international aspect of poverty reduction, for example, Berd Hoffman, Senior Economist of World Bank and Adrian Davis, head of DFID in China. Furthermore, the workshop was a mix of lecturing, experience introduction, case study, field trip and participatory discussion, etc. The participants were also requested to relate the subjects to local practice and share with one another their unique experience.
　　Fourth, logistic arrangements. To ensure the smooth proceeding of the workshop, IPRCC placed a large number of its staff for transportation from the airport to the hotel. IPRCC offered to reconfirm return air tickets for the participants and took the bother to change the flight time by visiting air liners as requested by the participants. For the health of the participants, IPRCC prepared anti-heat medicines and others necessary for the field trip to Guangxi Province. A lady from Sierra Leon was impressed as she was under weather in Guangxi, she was immediately taken after, kept in company and given special diets. A gentleman from Zambia was tortured by stomachache due to different food in China. IPRCC did its utmost to soothe his pain and finally cured him. He was so moved that he grasp the hands of IPRCC staffers and said he was really grateful for Chinese medicines and IPRCC people. IPRCC staff kept in mind the different ethnic and religious traditions in different participating countries and tried its best to accommodate their special needs for food.

II Effects
　　With joint efforts of all stakeholders, the workshop turned out to be a success with significant effects. The dynamic workshop was highly hailed by the participants in terms of the contents, subjects, lectures, accommodations and security.
　　First, Chinese basic situation, especially efforts on poverty reduction have been made known to all. The participants were given detailed information on Chinese economic and social development, current issues of agriculture, rural and farmers, the history of poverty reduction in China, one body two wings strategy, immigration and poverty reduction through the development of tourism, compulsory education in rural China, NGO roles in poverty reduction and local projects installed by international agencies by lectures, case studies, exchanges, Q & A in the class and discussion. The interactions between the trainers and trainees were intensive. In his summary of the courses, a gentleman from Zambia said that Chinese success with poverty reduction should be attributed to the following factors: first, powerful and stable social climate, second, locally-based policies, projects and programs; third, strong government commitment; fourth, qualified people engaged in the campaign against poverty; five, integrated educational system; sixth, policy of birth control and seventh, logic relation between supply and consumption. A gentleman from Liberia said in the closing ceremony that the workshop was so extensive that it covers the concept, determinants, nature and policy about poverty. He added that his government was right at the final step of formulating the PRSP and what he learnt from the workshop should be helpful to guide its implementation at various levels government.
　　Second, the field trip was a chance for the participants to witness and learn from Chinese experience and policies. The trip to Guangxi Province have led the participants to a deeper realization that rural China was remarkably transformed by the reform and opening-up policy adopted in the end of the 1970s and poverty in rural areas was reduced by the national program of poverty reduction. Many of them spoke to us about their feelings and impressions. A gentleman from Mauritius said that he quoted the word from Mr. Gandi, the hero of Indian people, the major measure to the development of a country should be how many of the people are starving and China is a forerunner in development and thus an example of Mauritius. He said he was impressed by the rural infrastructure development, exploitation of human and natural resources and the adoption of bio-gas during the trip and he was now convinced that the collaboration between China and Africa was greatly potential, especially in the use of bio-gas. A lady from Ghana said that she was astonished by the achievement of Guangxi Province and the village-based development project in Longsheng County was enlightening as Ghana was installed similar project with unsatisfactory results. She said she would coordinate Ghanaian government agencies into the study of Chinese experience and the hard work of Chinese people. She also expressed her hope that Chinese government could dispatch experts and scholars to Ghana to guide their projects.
　　Third, friendship was growing in one another. Fifteen days staying in China have convinced the participants that China is a faithful and friendly nation. Most of them left China with high praise over the logistics of IPRCC. Some of them said they were taken as VIP in China. Some said that this was the first time so warmly treated in all their visits to China. They were grateful to IPRCC staff for their care and concern and they were impressed by their hard work.

III Enlightenment
　　For the better functions of IPRCC and higher and sustainable yield of the workshop, IPRCC proposed that the trainees are expected to transfer the knowledge to local people engaged in poverty reduction after they returned home so that the result of the workshop can be expanded and can fully play its role. They can also continue the international collaboration of poverty reduction at multi-level and multi-dimension. They can contact the local resident offices of UNDP, WB, ADM and DFID for financial support for more delegations to China. IPRCC should design everything in line with the specific requirements for each of the countries and further the study of poverty issues so as to accelerate the process. And they are also expected to send invitations to IPRCC through their governments or resident offices of international organizations for Chinese scholars and specialists assigned by IPRCC to give lectures in their countries.