The sixth BRICS Media Forum opened in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 19. Wang Min, Director of CHN Energy Investment Group, spoke about Sino-African cooperation in the energy sector in his opening speech.
BRICS Media Forum: The De Aar wind project in South Africa, a symbol of ecological cooperation and economic development
The De Aar wind power project effectively alleviates the electricity shortage in South Africa, promotes local economic development and plays an important role in protecting the local environment. Around 200 deputies from some 100 media organizations, think tanks and international organizations from 30 countries held discussions on the theme of “BRICS and Africa: Strengthening media dialogue for a shared and unbiased future”, with the aim of building high-quality BRICS friendship and developing the BRICS mechanism.
CHN Energy, one of the world’s largest energy suppliers, has built and manages South Africa’s largest wind power project, “De Aar Wind Power Project”, which supplies clean wind power to 300,000 homes a year, and is creatively building an inclusive eco-growth model that integrates project, company, society and environment. This project is considered a model of cooperation in the energy sector between the BRICS countries.
BRICS-Africa cooperation: ambassadors and experts testify to technological and economic progress in the energy sector
Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele, South Africa’s ambassador to China, said that BRICS countries are actively exploring ways to move from traditional production methods to high-tech production and digitization. Chinese companies played an important role in this process. Meilleur Murindabigwi, CEO of IGIHE Ltd, a mainstream media outlet in Rwanda, emphasized that Africa today is in dire need of this type of cooperation when he commented on the wind power project cooperated by CHN Energy and South Africa.
“China-Africa energy cooperation not only bridges the local energy gap, but also transfers technology and helps host countries train professionals. I hope there will be more energy cooperation in other African countries”, he declared.
Christopher Mutsvangwa, a member of the political bureau of the central committee of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF), ZANU PF’s information and publicity secretary and former ambassador to China, said Zimbabwe expected CHN Energy to come to Zimbabwe to carry out clean energy projects and work together to expand cooperation in the energy sector, including contributing to clean energy development to achieve mutual benefits and win-win results, as well as common development for all.