This presentation by Ms Jie Chen, of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, provides an overview of China’s efforts in providing forestry linked training aid, the disparities between Chinese and African expectations, and ways forward for China’s human resource development programs in the forestry sector in Africa. The presentation was made at the fourth international learning event of the China-Africa Forest Governance Learning Platform, held in Pemba, Mozambique, from 23-25 October 2017. The platform event focused on finding ways for Chinese businesses in Africa, and African businesses linked to China, to generate strong benefits for local economies in Africa while looking after forest resources for future generations. More details: https://www.iied.org/china-africa-forest-governance-meeting-mozambique

1. China’s training aid for
African forestry: progress,
problems and prospects
Chen Jie
Center for International Forest Product Trade, State
Forestry Administration
Pemba 25th Oct. 2017

2. Where will HRD programs move
forward?
03
How is China training aid for
African forestry going01
What are the disparities in expectation
between China and Africa?02
Outlines

3. China’s human resources development programs in
forestry sector
 China's foreign aid dates back to 1950, and capacity building is an important
component. Human resources development (HRD) programs has been
implemented, including technical training, official-centered training, academic
education and other exchange programmes.
 Foreign-aid HRD programs are under the leadership of MOFCOM, involving the
efforts from government, international organizations, business, research
organizations and other stakeholders
 Since 1950, more than 120,000 civil servants and technicians from 173 developing
countries have received training in China.
 In 1993, the SFA began to design and implement the forestry foreign-aid HRD
programs. By the end of 2015, 149 HRD programs have been delivered to 4109
people from 106 countries.
 The HRD programs for forestry has sclaled up with improving impacts

4. Africa is the most targeted?
• Many African countries are the long-standing friend of China
• Africa abounds with bountiful forest resources, which play a
critical role in providing food, medicine, energy and timber.
• Many African countries are now asking how they can achieve the
sustainable use of forest resources, and has posed increasing
demand for capacity building.
• There is little understanding of the status, impact, problems and
solutions surrounding China' s HRD programs for African forestry.
• We attempted to reveal strengths and gaps in the current training,
and suggest how the latter can be bridged.

5. Questionnaire
survey
Conducted among
Chinese forestry training
organisations qualified for
foreign aid training for
training achievements,
problems and challenges,
priority training courses,
and format of training
courses
Semi-structured
interview
Conducted among senior
forestry officials from
Cameroon, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Gabon,
Madagascar and
Mozambique, to
understand their capacity
building needs, their
perceptions of priority
areas and preferred forms
and mechanisms.
Seminar
Talk with forestry training
organisations and
competent authorities for
human resource
development for training
organisations’ capacity to
provide courses, the
challenges they face and
ways to overcome them.
Methodologies for the research

6. • Centered on the
forest ecosystem,
wetland,
desertification and
biodiversity
• Strengths of
Chinese forestry
sector
• SAFA
• BFU
• National Bamboo
Research Center
under CAF
• ICBR
• Senior officials
• Ordinary officals at
the centeral and
provincial
government
• Technicians
How is China training aid for African forestry going?
African trainees are the largest recipient group.
The courses specifically designed for Africa account for roughly 30%.

7. 01
03
02Helped recipient countries for
better forestry governance and
resources utilization, thus
contributing to local livelihood
improvement
Contributed to international
forestry cooperation by
sharing the attitudes and
actions on sustainable
forestry
Enhanced the mutual
understanding and
collaboration between China
and African partners in
forestry sector
What achievement ever made?What achievement ever made?

8. African needs
• High-value-added
products processing
• Development of lesser
used tree species
China's Strengths
• Bamboo processing
• Wildlife protection
• Forest governance
• Wetland protection and wise
use
• Desertification control
• SFM
• NTFP
utilization
and
processing
• forest
plantation
Gap 1:
Priority
fields of
forestry
training
What are the disparities
in expectation between China and Africa?

9. Gap 2: Targeted trainees of forestry training
China
• More focused on public
sector experts
• Officials and professionals
from forestry-related
sectors and NGOs’
representatives,
• Local people (in
consideration)
Africa
• Local communities for
plantations, NTFP use and
sustainable forest development
• Grassroots technicians to
promote the wise use of timber
and NTFPs
• Local entrepreneurs and
workers for advanced
processing learning

10. Gap 3: Types of training
China
• short-term training
• training to local people
should be combined
with practical projects
Africa
• short-term training
• long-term academic
education
• on-site grassroot training

11. Gap 4: The way to give training
China
• Lecturing
• Field trips
Africa
• More discussion based on
lecturing
• Field trip and internship
integrated

12. Both Chinese and African respondents agree that ：
 there is a need for better post-training monitoring and
evaluation in order to strengthen the design of courses and
curricula as well as to gain a better understanding of the
impact.
 while distance learning offered potential, it would need to be
combined with opportunities for practical training and might be
limited by poor infrastructure.

13. The analysis reveals a strong technical training model, which however needs to be
strengthened.
Though technical training clearly has a vital role to play, other types of capacity
building are needed too. China needs to make more exploration in this aspects
Work is needed to assess what more is needed beyond training individuals in order
to understand how those individuals operate in the context of their organisations
While this still represents an agenda for ‘human resource development’, it demands
more of a focus on human resource development within organisations, and implies
more and longer-term support for people in their institutional settings.
Conclusions and suggestions

14. Ways forward......
Develop joint needs assessments01
Scale up HRD programmes in Africa ， with the emphasis and
focus varied by regions
02
Improve the quality of human resource
development programmes in Africa
03
Enhance the monitoring and help trainees to apply what they
have learned in their work
04
Deepen international cooperation in HRD program05

15. The research results have been incorporated into the 13th Five-year
Plan for Forestry Foreign-aid Human Resources Development.
More bilateral HRD programs for Africa
More focus put on the practices
Higher attention on the need evaluation
Increased consideration and practices on the on-site training
Changes of forestry HRD programs
Africa needs to consider what you would like
to get from China foreign-aid HRD programs
for forestry sector

16. Initiatives or plans available for
scaling up training
Forum of China and
African Cooperation
(FOCAC)
One Belt and one
Road Initiative
13rd Five-year
planfor Forestry
Foreign-aid
Human Resources
D
development

17. Thank
you!
jie_chen2007@163.com