Value Chain Development related Training Activities in China

In the course of the national economic development China is playing more and more roles in South-South Collaboration. In April 2018 Chinese government established China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) with the mission of planning, implementing and monitoring China international development aid. Training of governmental officials from partner countries in South Asia, Africa, Central and South America as well as partner countries along the route of Belt and Road Initiative is one of aid component of CIDCA. The training programs are designed and delivered by different governmental line agencies. The thematic areas of official training include: Agricultural Development, Policies, Institutions and Approaches of Regional Economic Development, Strategy and Approaches of Poverty Reduction, Rural Social and Economic Infrastructure Development. The training programs are delivered in three major sessions: (1) Thematic and methodology training; (2) workshops and group work for sharing successful cases and practices among the partner countries including China; (3) Field survey and case studies in provinces and counties.

From 29 June to 17 August 2019, Prof. Liu Yonggong, VCB-N CoE in China, was invited by Academy for International Business Officials (AIBO) of Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), Foreign Economic Cooperation Center (FECC) of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), and International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC), for delivering relevant lectures and facilitating the workshops and dialogues. The thematic topics of his lectures and workshops include: (1) Micro-Credit Scheme for Value Chain Development in Poverty Regions; (2) China’s Inclusive Strategy for Narrowing Regional Development Disparity: Achievements and Lessons for Partner Countries; (3) Procedures and Methodology for Agricultural Development Planning. Prof. Liu has incorporated the concept, procedures and methodologies introduced by VCB-N TOT training on Inclusive Value Chain Development and Market System Development and Inclusive Rural Entrepreneurship Development, into the training hand-outs and the training curriculum. In his lectures, Prof. Liu also introduced IFAD value chain development components, major intervention approaches and the VCB-N Network.

All together about 150 participants from more than 20 developing countries, i.e. Nepal, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zanzibar, Congo, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Benin, Panama, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Mongolia, Cambodia, etc., attended the training sessions and participated in the group discussions and workshops.