Africa is not seeking cutting-edge technologies or large-scale models, but suitable solutions to natural, economic and social conditions.
On May 29, as part of the launch ceremony of the South-South Cooperation Working Group in agriculture, government representatives from Viet Nam and Africa participated in a discussion on an inclusive policy vision to promote effective and sustainable cooperation.
Positioning South-South Cooperation from a strategic perspective, Director General of the Middle East and Africa Department (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Nguyen Phuong Tra, stated that amid the ongoing trade war, Viet Nam is at a point where it needs Africa, while African countries are also seeking support from Viet Nam to complement each other’s strengths and diversify markets.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative, the launch of the Working Group comes at a favorable time as relations between the two sides are gaining momentum, with dozens of high-level visits exchanged over the past three years, accounting for more than half of the total delegation exchanges recorded during the previous decade. Viet Nam - Africa cooperation is now shifting toward a long-term strategic approach.
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| The discussion session within the framework of the Meeting on promoting Viet Nam - Africa agricultural cooperation and launching ceremony of the South-South Cooperation Working Group in agriculture was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Photo: Kieu Chi. |
Need for more suitable models rather than costly technologies
Africa is not seeking cutting-edge technologies or large-scale investment models, but rather emphasizes the need for practical and appropriate solutions.
After 27 years of civil war, Angola is entering a phase of agricultural reconstruction with food security as its top priority, according to Angolan Ambassador to Viet Nam Fernando Miguel. Despite possessing fertile land and favorable climate conditions, the country still faces low productivity, inadequate irrigation systems, limited mechanization and heavy reliance on traditional farming methods.
What Angola seeks from Viet Nam is not simply crop varieties, but tropical farming experience, processing techniques, low-cost irrigation solutions and models suited to smallholder farmers. According to Ambassador Fernando Miguel, Viet Nam’s strength lies in a so-called "learning by doing" approach and the direct transfer of know-how, which enables farmers to master technologies themselves.
He described Viet Nam as a valuable model for agricultural reform. Zambia currently has around 42 million hectares of agricultural land, but only about 6 million hectares have been utilized. Although 62% of the population works in agriculture, the sector contributes only about 5% to GDP.
According to Ambassador Mumba, Zambia not only wants to learn from Viet Nam’s experience in improving productivity in rice, coffee, and fisheries, but also aims to develop agricultural value chains and market connectivity as Viet Nam has achieved.
These remarks show that the “Viet Nam solution” attracting attention is not about expensive technology, but about practical adaptability: developing under constrained conditions, optimizing limited resources and building a production ecosystem that supports farmers.
Sharing the same view, Director General of the National Agricultural Extension Center Le Quoc Thanh, stressed that the biggest lesson from South-South Cooperation is not simply bringing new seeds or equipment to Africa. The key issue remains the gap between science and real-world production.
“Success does not come merely from introducing high-yield varieties, because without people accompanying farmers, the model will hardly be sustainable. Many rice production models can achieve yields of 7-8 tons per hectare, but once the experts leave, farmers often return to old practices. The most important question is: who will stay behind after the project ends?” he said.
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| Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and members of the Cabinet met with former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat and the South-South Cooperation Working Group in April 2026. Photo: Parliament of Zambia. |
Orienting to develop South-South ecosystem
“South-South Cooperation must move beyond the mindset of short-term technical assistance toward institution-building, human resource training, agricultural extension systems and irrigation management,” emphasized Dr. Bui Ba Bong, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, highlighting the factors behind Viet Nam’s agricultural success.
Thanks to this approach, Viet Nam has maintained a consistent “red thread” of food security throughout nearly 40 years of Doi moi reform. This persistence enabled the country to transform itself from a food-deficit nation into one of the world’s leading agricultural exporters.
Regarding long-term orientation, Nguyen Phuong Tra, Director General of the Middle East and Africa Department, proposed strengthening political trust through the development of long-term cooperation strategies with African countries, while maintaining the attention of senior leaders on both sides in order to create a favorable political and diplomatic foundation for businesses to expand cooperation and achieve stable growth.
At the same time, she called for improvements to policy and legal frameworks for investment promotion and protection agreements, as well as for studying incentive policies in line with Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW, issued in 2025, on private-sector development. These measures would help businesses expand development space, secure risk guarantees, access capital and build business ecosystems in Africa.
Specifically for agriculture, she recommended that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment consider advising on and promoting strategic partnership frameworks with potential African countries; facilitating market access; streamlining bilateral quarantine procedures; and mobilizing development partners through trilateral and quadrilateral cooperation models.
Many African countries need development models that are suited to their specific conditions: small-scale production, tropical climates, limited infrastructure, yet vast land potential. This is precisely where Africa’s needs intersect with Viet Nam’s experience.
Author: Kieu Chi
Translated by Kieu Chi
