Revamp of Togo's Lomé International Airport showcases China-Africa Cooperation

Togo's aim to enhance its connectivity in the region has been supported by the notable upgrade of its Lomé International Airport, now recognized as a key airport in West Africa. This improvement is a clear outcome of the collaborative efforts between China and Togo, facilitated by the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

The airport's renovation, which began in 2012 with Chinese support, has played a significant role in Togo's modernization. A central figure in this journey is Dr. S. Antoine Batcha, who was contacted by the Chinese company leading the renovation during his doctoral studies in China. Despite initial reluctance, he chose to return to Togo to contribute to a project of national significance.

"Given the importance of the project, also realizing that they saw that I have some skills to be able to support the project, I decided to come back," he said.

Within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the project to redevelop and extend the Lomé International Airport is expected to help Togo build an air hub in the West African region.

Batcha also shared his excitement when he joined the project.

"I was delighted, very impressed. If this massive plan can be implemented quickly in Lomé, then Lomé will be ahead of the other West African Economic and Monetary Union countries," he said.

According to Lu Xinyong, the project's Chinese manager, Batcha's involvement has been crucial, especially in managing a 2013 labor dispute that could have impacted the project's progress.

"I was particularly impressed by an event that happened in 2013. There was a strike at the construction site. Dr. Batcha learned about the requests of the Chinese company and the local employees, and then, through active communication with both parties, he managed to settle the situation. He has become a bridge that facilitates communication between the Chinese company and local employees," the manager said.

The inauguration of the new terminal in April 2016 marked a significant milestone, with the facility not only expanding the airport's capacity but also meeting high environmental standards, earning it a carbon accreditation.

"When carrying out the work, we took all possible measures to respect green construction guidelines -- in particular the curtain walls, which are highly ecological. And thanks to the respect shown to environmental standards, Lomé airport today has succeeded in the carbon accreditation of airports," Batcha said.

The success of the airport has sparked discussions for further expansion, including plans for a second terminal, highlighting its growing importance to Togo's economy.

"The terminal has become a lung for the national economy. This terminal has put Togo back at the center of international activities. We end up with an airport terminal that is getting small. And so I think that with this Sino-Togolese cooperation, we will be able to build other buildings," said Abdou Ahabou Idrissou, director general of the National Civil Aviation Agency of Togo.

The ongoing collaboration between China and Togo at Lomé International Airport exemplifies how international partnerships can lead to substantial improvements in infrastructure and economic development.

"Togo has developed very rapidly in recent years. I am very honored, as part of a Chinese company, to have had the opportunity to come and participate in the construction of Togo," said Liang Pengfang, a Chinese civil engineer of the project.

"I am very honored, very happy -- together with the Chinese teams to contribute towards the modernization of Togo's infrastructure," Batcha said.

Revamp of Togo's Lomé International Airport showcases China-Africa Cooperation

Dawa Yangdron, an early participant in a large-scale afforestation project in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, has led her team in using native seedlings, which boast higher survival rates and lower maintenance costs, to restore barren highland slopes, showing a locally adapted approach to ecological restoration.

The afforestation project in the mountains to the north and south of Lhasa, the first large-scale tree planting and afforestation initiative in the history of Xizang, aims to complete 2.0672 million mu (about 137,813 hectares) of land greening over a period of 10 years since its launch in 2021.

Yangdron, general manager of Xizang Zangjian Wusheng Greening Co., is one of the earliest builders who joined the decade-long project in 2022. She has led her team at Xizang's largest native seedling breeding base, where they are dedicated to growing indigenous trees.

"This is the largest native seedling breeding base in Xizang. It covers 80 hectares and stores the seeds of more than 70 species of local plants. After collecting the seeds from across the region, we cultivate them here. On the one hand, the base supports early-stage scientific research. On the other, it supplies seedlings for the afforestation project in the mountains to the north and south of Lhasa," Yangdron said.

"When we talk about native seedlings, we mean seedlings that originated here. We've recruited more than 100 college graduates and are training local students from Xizang to research and cultivate indigenous species. To date, we've supplied 10 million native seedlings for the afforestation project. Using local seedlings for afforestation has clear advantages. The survival rate's higher, and subsequent maintenance costs are much lower. Later this year, we'll provide three million seedlings of the Piptanthus concolor variety. It's an evergreen species native to Xizang that doesn't shed its leaves in winter," she said.

Ecological protection on the plateau is no easy feat, Yangdron noted.

"The environment in Xizang is quite fragile and the climate is unique. From collecting the seeds to cultivating the seedlings, the process is highly complex and demanding, and takes a long time. While everyone talks about protecting the plateau environment, I believe Xizang Autonomous Region has stressed adapting measures to the local conditions and respecting nature. What we need to do is work even harder to put these principles into practice and safeguard the environment on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau," Yangdron said.

Since the afforestation project took root, Yangdron said, the local climate has grown noticeably more humid, and the air feels richer in oxygen. The barren hills of the past are now draped in green, and in winter, the landscape is dotted with reds and yellows. What started as a mission to green the mountains, she added, has become a quest to make them beautiful.

Locals foster indigenous species for ecological restoration in Xizang