Patrick Lumumba, a legal scholar and former director of Kenya's anti-graft agency, receives an interview with Xinhua in Nairobi, Kenya, March 14, 2026. The implementation of China's zero-tariff policy for the 53 African countries with diplomatic ties with Beijing from May 1 will enable the continent to reorganize its industrial chains and boost export competitiveness, a Kenyan scholar has said. (Xinhua/Yang Guang)

NAIROBI, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The implementation of China's zero-tariff policy for the 53 African countries with diplomatic ties with Beijing from May 1 will enable the continent to reorganize its industrial chains and boost export competitiveness, a Kenyan scholar has said.

Patrick Lumumba, a legal scholar and former director of Kenya's anti-graft agency, said the 100 percent tariff exemption offers a golden opportunity for Africa to expand its footprint in the vast Chinese market while enhancing indigenous manufacturing and value addition.

While welcoming the policy and China's well-structured market, Lumumba said it should also serve as a wake-up call for Africa to better organize its vast market, strengthen regional integration, improve policy coherence and promote value addition to raw materials, including minerals and agricultural commodities.

"In the short to medium term, the most important thing is for Africans to organize themselves. It is an organized Africa that can deal with an organized China," Lumumba said during a recent interview with Xinhua in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

Lumumba said that Africa must strengthen its internal systems to derive optimal benefits from unfettered access to the Chinese market.

China's zero-tariff policy will also provide African countries with a strong buffer against disruptions to global trade linked to the United States' shift toward protectionism and other unilateral actions, he said.

He said China remains a global manufacturing hub that offers vast trading opportunities for African countries that are major producers of coffee, tea and critical minerals essential to the global green transition.

"It is true that China is trying to be the country that offers an environment that allows for trade," Lumumba said, stressing the role of the African Continental Free Trade Area in enhancing China-Africa trade.

In addition, Lumumba said China can help Africa establish manufacturing plants on the continent, reduce trade imbalances, promote vocational training and create jobs for local youth.

He called on African countries to cooperate with China as a bloc, harmonize standards, equip youth and women with skills, and accelerate value addition to gain greater leverage in the Chinese market.

"We must be in a position to compete now that China is creating an environment that will help us strengthen," Lumumba said. ■