《TAIPEI TIMES》 Foreign ministry aims to expand ‘Africa Project’

By Yang Yao-ju / Staff reporter

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has proposed plans to advance its “Africa Project,” aiming to expand Taiwan’s diplomatic relations with countries on the continent.

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During her trip to Eswatini in September last year, President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） instructed the government to further advance the Africa Project, as she learned that many African countries were interested and supported the initiative.

The ministry has laid out five goals to move the project forward in a report submitted to the Legislative Yuan.

It proposed assisting Taiwanese businesspeople based in Africa to boost local markets and continue to explore the possibility of doing business in major countries in the region.

The plan is also aims to cultivate talent through government scholarships so that more students from African countries to study in Taiwan.

To promote specializing in African affairs, the ministry would encourage higher education institutions in Taiwan and African countries to establish sister-school ties as well as advocate for Taiwanese to study, conduct research or join internship programs in Africa.

Taiwan should also expand cooperation with African countries on women’s empowerment, climate change, food security and youth exchanges, the report says.

Fostering female entrepreneurs would help alleviate youth unemployment issues in some African countries, while collaborating on climate change and food security issues would create business opportunities for Taiwan’s renewable energy and agricultural biotechnology industries, it says.

Taiwanese businesses in Africa are encouraged to hire young local people to ease labor shortages and English teachers from Eswatini could be encouraged to teach in Taiwan, it says.

The ministry also proposed working with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Overseas Community Affairs Council to collect opinions from Taiwanese living or working in Africa to prepare informed action plans to deepen relations and economic exchanges between Taiwan and African countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would continue seeking input from agencies to finalize its plan, which the legislature is to deliberate and vote on.

Launched in 2019, the Africa Project has facilitated the establishment of the Republic of Somaliland Representative Office in Taiwan and the Taiwan Representative Office in the Republic of Somaliland in 2020, and the reopening of the Taipei Representative Office in the Ivory Coast in 2022.

Taiwan also has an embassy in Eswatini and three other missions in Africa: the Taipei Trade Office in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Taipei Liaison Office in the Republic of South Africa and the Taipei Liaison Office in Cape Town.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES