NAIROBI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges is in line with the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063, a former AU official has said.

In an interview with Xinhua on Tuesday, Erastus Mwencha, former deputy chairperson of the AU Commission, said that Africa has several dialogues with many global partners, some of which hold special places as they are amenable to Africa's strategic agenda.

"China is one of those countries because of a shared history that has very much been very supportive to Africa's agenda, which is really people-centered," Mwencha said.

On Jan. 8, the launching ceremony of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges was held at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

Mwencha, who was a primary architect of the AU Agenda 2063, noted that Africa and China, with a combined population estimated at 2.8 billion people, have a common affinity through many spheres, including a shared history of undergoing colonialism.

He noted that 2026 also marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and African countries.

The region is keen to achieve people-centered development through developing the skills of its youthful population in partnership with China, said Mwencha.

He observed that China has already extended thousands of scholarships to African students who are now learning in the Asian nation in key fields, which will boost the continent's capacity to take charge of its own narrative.

Data from the AU suggested that Africa has the youngest population in the world, with more than 400 million young people aged between 15 and 35.

Africa will harness the potential of its youth through working with tertiary institutions like the Luban Workshops of China, which can help to reduce the brain drain to other continents of the world, said the former AU official.

Mwencha added that through collaboration with China, African youth will achieve a self-sustaining capacity to exploit opportunities available on the continent. ■