South Africa and China have inaugurated a joint research centre to deepen academic cooperation on development, digital transformation and industrial modernisation across Africa and the wider Global South.
The South Africa China-Africa Research Center was inaugurated on Tuesday at South Africa’s National School of Government (NSG) in Pretoria, alongside a seminar titled “The Global South Working Together to Build a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity”.
The initiative aims to strengthen exchanges between Chinese and African scholars, promote the sharing of governance experience and explore development strategies suited to the challenges facing developing countries.
In his address, Peng Jinhui, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, NSG Acting Principal Phindile Mkwanazi and Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Wu Peng jointly unveiled the centre’s plaque during the ceremony.
The inauguration brought together academics and political representatives for discussions on modernising the Global South and accelerating the digital transformation of industry, underscoring the role of research and knowledge-sharing in advancing cooperation among developing economies.
Mkwanazi described the inauguration as a new starting point for bilateral cooperation, expressing the NSG’s readiness to deepen engagement with Chinese partners through the centre.
Also, she affirmed the importance of translating research findings into tangible outcomes that contribute to public governance and national development.
Bongani Mayimele, director of international relations and partnerships at the NSG, highlighted the need for stronger solidarity among Global South countries amid an increasingly complex international environment.
He said developing countries needed to work together to safeguard their legitimate rights and interests.
Following the inauguration, participating experts and scholars examined development pathways across the Global South, opportunities to exchange governance expertise between China and Africa, and the future of manufacturing in the age of artificial intelligence.
The discussions placed digital transformation and industrial modernisation at the centre of the research initiative, reflecting growing interest in how developing economies can harness technological advances to strengthen productive capacity and improve governance.
Through the new centre, South African and Chinese institutions are seeking to establish a platform for sustained academic exchange and policy research, with its longer-term contribution depending on how effectively the findings inform public policy and development programmes.
