China’s involvement in foreign aid includes agricultural cooperation and skills training in Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso. These initiatives address practical challenges such as food production, access to resources and employment skills. Their documented activities provide a more specific picture of development cooperation than national economic trends alone.

What Do These Programs Do?

The China-Sierra Leone Food Project works to combat poverty and food insecurity by transferring sustainable farming techniques. In a 2019 account, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation described Chinese experts and technicians working with national and local governments to improve irrigation and crop yields. It listed the project period as beginning in 2008. The project forms part of the wider FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme.

The same account reported the introduction of 68 agricultural techniques, 56 crop varieties and 35 types of equipment and tools. It described an example in which rice yields rose from 0.9 to 2.1 tonnes per hectare using a Chinese hybrid variety and animal-waste fertilizer. These are project-level examples of agricultural support, not a measurement of national poverty reduction.

China Railway Seventh Group, a company rather than an aid program, also participates in vocational training. People’s Daily reported that the company partnered with Zhengzhou Railway Technician College and Freetown Polytechnic to launch the Excellence Academy in Freetown on Jan. 27, 2026. The initiative included a multimedia classroom and aimed to provide practical vocational and technical courses aligned with workforce needs.

Agricultural Cooperation in Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, agricultural cooperation has included support for women’s income generation in Nariou village. A July 2026 account on the WFP China Centre of Excellence platform describes work under the third phase of China’s Agricultural Technical Assistance Project to Burkina Faso. It reports that aquaculture activities produced 540 kilograms of marketable fish in 2025, generating approximately 1.08 million CFA francs in income.

The International Cultural Exchange Camp for Reforestation and Community Action has also included practical agricultural training. CGTN reported in July 2026 that Chinese experts in Kindi were teaching young people vegetable cultivation through classroom instruction and hands-on practice. Organizers said participants would receive seeds and equipment after completing the course, helping them establish gardens at home.

Looking Ahead

China’s involvement in foreign aid and related development partnerships offers examples of agricultural knowledge-sharing, local production and vocational training. These activities may support household livelihoods and food security. Their longer-term impact will depend on sustained resources, local uptake and evaluation of the benefits to participating communities.

– Lily K Gibson

Lily is based in Connecticut, U.S.A and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

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