Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku‑Agyemang spoke at the 2026 Global South Academic Forum in Shanghai, urging countries in the Global South to study China’s development experience without copying its political system. She said China’s transformation over recent decades offers valuable lessons in long‑term planning, industrialisation, poverty reduction and institutional roles.
Professor Opoku‑Agyemang cautioned that China’s path was shaped by its unique history, institutions, political system and national priorities. She urged scholars and policymakers across the Global South to assess China’s experience within their own contexts, recognising that institutions must ultimately reflect the societies they serve.
She called for South‑South cooperation that allows nations to compare successes and failures, learn from each other’s mistakes, and strengthen institutions, education and infrastructure to translate political independence into sustainable development.
