By Fu Jing

In the green highlands on the outskirts of Ethiopia’s second-largest city, Adam, more than 100 three-blade wind turbines can be seen. When the two-phase wind farm goes into full operation soon, it will become this country’s largest wind generating project.

Local people are still planting crops and raising cows and horses beneath the turbines that carry the names of two Chinese companies – CGCOC and Hydro China – along with that of the Ethiopian Energy Authority.

A senior manager of CGCOC, which has focused on infrastructure projects in Africa for years, said the company is still negotiating with Ethiopia to build a wind power base and transfer China’s long chain of know-how in capturing this renewable energy to the East African country, which has rich wind resources especially in the Rift Valley region.

On my flight from Beijing to Addis Ababa one week ago, a graceful Ethiopian crew member, seeing me sitting together with rows of Chinese workers, asked me if I was flying to Africa for road construction.

I could not explain at that moment what Chinese workers and investors are doing in Africa is more than just the construction of roads and railways.

During the past week in Ethiopia, I have seen for myself that as well as constructing roads and railways Chinese companies are helping build hydro-power plants, drill wells, plant vegetables, set up cement production lines, and build hospitals, and they plan to help construct a sugar plant. The list of such endeavors goes on.

In this East African country, whose per capita income is the same as that of China in the 1980s, thousands of Ethiopian workers and families are working together with Chinese to finish these projects, which are mainly owned by the Ethiopian government.

Similar to those Chinese working in foreign-owned or joint ventures in China in the 1980s and 1990s, the Ethiopians holding these opportunities are delighted to have stable jobs and good wages, and say they have seen concrete improvements in their lives with the completion of such projects.

While recognizing the importance of these efforts in helping land-locked Ethiopians lift themselves out of poverty, I was especially interested to hear of the country’s ambition to become a leader in green energy on the continent.

For the wind power expansion in Ethiopia, China is willing to help construct a wind farm base for Ethiopia, which if realized means Ethiopia will be able to export electricity to neighbors in exchange of foreign reserves, which are badly needed to satisfy the demand for imports in this country, which is landlocked and short of resources.

Beyond this, China is considering the request to localize the technology chain for wind power in Ethiopia. If so, Ethiopia will improve its know-how, which will help it construct more wind farms by itself or even export the technology to other African countries. Then Ethiopia will be well on the way to acquiring the title of green energy leader.

Western countries like to label themselves as the leaders in developing green energy. But it is China that is offering tremendous assistance and practices for African countries, which are still in a period of economic takeoff.

On different occasions, Chinese leaders have stated that they want to cooperate with third parties to improve the welfare of Africans and realize their dreams of becoming better and stronger. Instead of casting aspersions at China’s engagement with Africa, the West should join hands with China to realize the green energy ambitions of Ethiopia and the whole of Africa.

The author is China Daily’s chief correspondent in Brussels. fujing@chinadaily.com.cn

Source: China Daily