NAIROBI, Oct.18 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's scholars urged Africa on Monday to embrace China's development model in order to reduce poverty.
Joseph Onjala, economics lecturer at the University of Nairobi told Xinhua that through prudent policies China was able to improve the living standards of its people.
"China offers numerous lessons for Africa through its economic miracle that was heavily reliant on optimizing human capital," Onjala said during the conference on China-Africa relations hosted by the University of Nairobi.
Onjala said that China began its modernization journey through revolutionizing its agricultural sector.
"Once the labor productivity in the rural areas shot up, China was able to unleash its potential and the number of poor households reduced dramatically," he added.
According to the scholar, China was able to take advantage of rising household incomes to increase the savings rates and channel the funds to other productive sectors of the economy.
He revealed that the Chinese economic miracle is also anchored on its huge population that provided domestic firms with a ready market for manufactured commodities.
Onjala said that by improving its business climate, China was able to attract foreign investments that in turn provided job opportunities for its citizens.
He appealed to African governments to prioritize investments in the areas that will have the greatest socio-economic impact.
"As Africans, we need to be strategic with our intentions so that we always make decisions that promote the long term self-interest," Onjala noted.
Fred Jonyo, senior lecturer of political science, University of Nairobi, said that China offers critical lessons for African policymakers in the area of economic development.
Jonyo noted that Chinese leaders have been successful in mobilizing their people to drive towards achieving key social-economic milestones.
He observed that Africa is yet to achieve its full potential despite its huge natural resources.
"Inconsistent national policies coupled with weak leadership has complicated efforts for Africa to reduce the high levels of unemployment," he noted.
Jonyo called for the strengthening of governance structures in order to reduce the loss of public funds that are required to boost the provision of social services such as education and health.
The scholar said that Africa's fragmented markets act as a hindrance to attracting large foreign investments.
"The continent should focus on regional integration efforts to build large markets for the benefit of its citizens," he added.
Jonyo added that by negotiating as regional economic blocs, Africa will be able to bargain better trade deals with other regions of the world.
He also urged the continent to seek joint ventures with Chinese firms in order to benefit from modern technology required to produce goods that will compete favorably in the international market.
