BUTI MANAMELA: What the world can learn from China’s poverty victory

In an age of rising economic anxiety and geopolitical disorder, one of the most profound human achievements of the 21st century remains relatively underappreciated: China lifted more than 800-million people out of poverty in just over four decades. This was not accidental. It was a deliberate act of national will, long-term planning and structural transformation. For much of the developing world — especially in Africa — this is not just an inspiring case study; it is a call to action.

The Chinese experience does not offer a perfect template, but it does offer powerful insights. Its lesson is simple but bold: poverty is not a natural condition — it is a political and economic problem that can be solved. The challenge now is to understand how.

For countries such as South Africa, which remains one of the most unequal societies in the world, this moment calls for honest reckoning and decisive policy. But it also presents an opportunity: to reimagine development not just within borders, but across the continent — and in doing so, to help lead the world into a more inclusive future.

Growth alone is not enough — but it is essential

At the core of China’s transformation was a reorientation of its entire economy. From the late 1970s, it pursued market reforms that opened it to trade and foreign investment, unleashed entrepreneurship and catalysed job creation. This was paired with industrial planning and infrastructure investments that turned a largely agrarian economy into the world’s manufacturing engine.

South Africa’s economy remains shaped by its colonial and apartheid past. But in recent years, the government has embarked on strategic reindustrialisation — from masterplans in auto manufacturing and poultry to Operation Vulindlela’s regulatory reforms and large-scale infrastructure investment. These are not yet at scale, but they are signs of direction and intent.

The lesson from China is not growth for growth’s sake, but to grow in ways that include the marginalised. Africa’s lesson is that equity must drive growth — and growth must be pursued with clarity of purpose.

From precision poverty reduction to local solutions

China’s “targeted poverty alleviation” strategy, which began in earnest in 2014, mapped poverty down to the village and household level. Officials were deployed to implement custom interventions — be it infrastructure, resettlement or income support. The result was the near eradication of extreme rural poverty by 2020.

South Africa’s approach has focused heavily on social grants. More than 28-million citizens receive support, and the temporary Covid social relief of distress grant has become the basis for a long-term basic income support model. At the same time, the presidential employment stimulus has expanded public job creation, while the district development model aims to improve local co-ordination.

But grants must become gateways, not endpoints. Precision matters. Poverty varies by geography, gender, age and education, and so must the country’s responses. China taught us that local intelligence, community engagement and performance accountability are essential for impact.

Investing in human capital: a continental imperative

China’s long-term investment in education, health and technical training created a workforce capable of supporting its industrial rise. South Africa has made similar strides in expanding education access, funding higher education for the poor and reforming the technical and vocational sector.

But human capital remains a fault line across Africa. Without a serious continental effort to match skills to opportunity, especially in the digital, green and care economies, Africa’s youth dividend could become a liability. Education must shift from rote to relevance. Sector education & training authorities, universities and technical vocational education & training colleges must align with the real economy, not historical inertia.

The coming decades will be defined by who trains and retains talent. For Africa, the answer must be: all of us, and now.

Urbanisation with purpose, not chaos

China’s managed urbanisation helped lift millions into the formal economy, while still investing in rural development. South Africa’s urban centres — Joburg, Cape Town, Durban — are growing, but often without matching infrastructure or housing. Informal settlements expand, while small towns decline.

Rebalancing spatial development requires bold planning: agro-industrial zones, special economic hubs in underdeveloped provinces and transport systems that connect workers to jobs. The African urban future must be one of design, not drift.

Governance: the hardest lesson, the highest priority

China’s achievement required capable institutions. Poverty reduction was not left to chance. Locally, efforts are under way to professionalise the civil service, fight corruption and build a more ethical state. But policy without delivery is just a promise deferred.

Africa’s development challenge is, at its heart, also a governance challenge. Democratic accountability and developmental efficiency must coexist. The continent must show that it can plan, execute and report — not just strategise.

The world is shifting. Africa must not wait to be chosen

Geopolitics is reordering global trade. The world is moving from just-in-time to just-in-case. Multinationals are looking for new production centres. The Global South is asserting its presence in multilateral platforms. These shifts present the continent with an opportunity — but only if we see ourselves not as petitioners, but as producers.

The African Continental Free Trade Area agreement must become more than a document. It must be backed by infrastructure, capital and political will. Africa must stop waiting to be included and start positioning itself as indispensable to the next phase of global production.

From the pavement to the vanguard

The era of postcolonial deference must end. Africa does not need to be saved — it needs to be enabled. And that enabling must begin with our own bold decisions.

If China’s century-defining leap has taught us anything, it is that poverty is not destiny. With vision, governance and resolve, it can be defeated.

The next great development story — for the continent and the world — may yet be African. But only if we write it.

Manamela is deputy minister of higher education & training