Casablanca – Abdelkader Amara, president of Morocco’s Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) and the Union of African Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions (UCESA), called for a greater African role in shaping global rules around technological innovation and artificial intelligence (AI).
Speaking at the China Economic and Social Forum in Hangzhou, Amara said Africa’s representation in global AI governance should better reflect the continent’s population and its growing contribution to the global economy.
He pointed to Africa’s young and rapidly growing population as a major demographic advantage at a time when several parts of the world face aging populations.
Amara also referred to Africa’s role in the energy, digital and industrial transitions. The continent holds critical minerals such as cobalt and manganese, which support clean technologies, batteries and the low-carbon economy.
He also cited expanding African markets, deeper regional integration, stronger productive capacity and the continent’s growing pool of young entrepreneurs and innovators.
On AI, Amara called for more equitable African access to digital infrastructure, technology, research, data and computing capacity. He said these resources have become essential to the development of the digital economy.
The CESE president also referred to King Mohammed VI’s vision for an Africa that makes full use of its potential, relies on its youth and uses innovation and South-South cooperation to strengthen sovereignty and shared prosperity.
Amara pushes for deeper China-Africa cooperation
Amara also addressed the future of China-Africa economic ties, calling for trade growth to go alongside greater investment, technology transfers, innovation, applied research and skills development.
He said cooperation could build on the complementarity between China’s industrial, financial and technological capacities and Africa’s human resources, entrepreneurial potential and economic resources.
On the sidelines of the forum, Amara met Wang Dongfeng, president of China’s Economic and Social Council, for talks on cooperation between the two institutions.
Wang praised relations between China and Morocco as the two countries marked 10 years of their strategic partnership. He also commended Amara’s leadership of UCESA and the union’s work to strengthen cooperation among African consultative institutions.
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Wang specifically credited Morocco’s CESE with helping ensure the success of the fifth UCESA-China Economic and Social Council roundtable, held in Malabo under the auspices of Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. It marked the first edition of the meeting held on African soil.
The two presidents also welcomed the development of the UCESA-China roundtable as a forum for dialogue between African and Chinese consultative institutions and for supporting priorities under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
They agreed on key themes for the sixth roundtable, scheduled to take place in China in September 2027. Technological transformation and AI will feature among the main topics.
