NAIROBI, March 27 (Xinhua) -- A dialogue on China-Africa green cooperation was held in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, bringing together senior officials, diplomats, environmentalists and scholars.
The China-Africa Ecological Civilization Exchange forum was hosted by the Chongqing Land and Sea International Communication Foundation at the Confucius Institute of Kenya's oldest university, the University of Nairobi, on Wednesday.
A photo exhibition titled "The City of Eagles," a reference to Chongqing in southwest China, was also featured on the sidelines of the forum.
One highlight of the event was the launch of a nature observation program that seeks to enhance cooperation between Chinese and African youth in advancing the green agenda.
Njoroge Muchiri, deputy governor of the County Government of Nairobi, said the metropolis is keen to foster exchanges with China in its quest for reclaiming green spaces and rivers.
He said that during a recent trip to China, he witnessed the inspiring conservation works around the Yangtze River, a major lifeline for the Asian country.
"In collaboration with the Chinese government and Chinese investors, we are working on a very major rehabilitation program for Nairobi rivers," Muchiri said. "With that, we shall be able to establish the ecosystems that used to exist."
Nevile Agesa, a project manager at Mara Conservation Fund, a wildlife conservation lobby based in southwestern Kenya, said that a partnership with Chinese entities has strengthened the protection of habitats reeling from the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.
Hu Henghua, mayor of Chongqing Municipality, spoke at the event that sought to enhance exchanges with Kenyan institutions and the public on the green, sustainability agenda.
"We stand ready to leverage this platform to collaborate with African partners in sharing expertise and best practices across urban sustainability, clean energy development, wildlife protection, and cultural heritage restoration," Hu said.
Guo Haiyan, Chinese ambassador to Kenya, stressed that Beijing attaches great importance to global ecological health, adding that cooperation with Kenya has boosted the protection of natural assets.
She said that Chinese enterprises based in Kenya have embraced green ethos during the implementation of flagship projects such as the 480-km Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
Guo added that the "Partnership Action for Green Development," one of the 10 partnership actions announced at the 2024 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, reaffirmed China's commitment to advancing green energy transition and biodiversity protection in Africa.
