Veep Calls For Community-Led Development

Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has underscored the importance of community-driven development approaches, drawing lessons from China’s experience in rural revitalisation and poverty reduction.

The Vice President made the remarks on the sidelines of the 2026 Global South Academic Forum in Shanghai, where she held discussions with the forum’s organising committee led by its Chair, Prof. Lu Xinyu.

According to a post on her official Facebook page, the meeting focused on China’s experience in rural revitalisation, poverty reduction and community development.

Prof. Lu highlighted how targeted interventions had helped transform previously deprived communities in China, including local governance reforms, efforts to revitalise fisheries and aquaculture, community sporting initiatives and modern infrastructure to expand economic opportunities.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said she was particularly interested in how the interventions were shaped by the realities of individual communities, drew on research, and were strengthened through deliberate government action.

“They show that development does not always require identical solutions, but that every community has resources, knowledge, and opportunities it can harness,” she noted.

She thanked Prof. Lu for sharing the experiences and emphasised the need for leadership that remains connected to communities and ensures that public interventions respond directly to their needs.

“The value of South-South cooperation lies in learning from one another’s experiences, adapting successful approaches to our own circumstances, and developing solutions that improve the lives of our people,” the Vice President added.

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