The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) should continue to play its critical role of advancing an open world economy while safeguarding existing global multilateral trading system, in order to push back against rising protectionism, a former African Union official has said.

Emphasizing multilateralism, integration, and sustainable trade will help the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) withstand external pressures while demonstrating its value as a key pillar of the global economy, said Erastus Mwencha, former deputy chairman of the AU Commission.

Mwencha, who is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation , made the remarks at an annual meeting of the council held on Thursday in Ningbo, Zhejiang province.

As global economic tensions mount - exemplified by the ongoing abuse of tariffs - Africa stands to benefit from its participation in the BRI, which will continue to ensure enhanced mutual benefit, resilience, and equitable integration into the global economy, he said.

"The escalation of tensions and tariff regimes threatens global trade norms, but it also offers BRI partners an opportunity to reinvigorate the initiative and to continue to deepen collaboration among the partners while offering the world a platform to effectively safeguard the multilateral trading system for all," he said.

Mwencha called on the BRF to strengthen multilateralism and rules-based trade, enhance intra-BRF trade and economic integration, diversify trade and investment channels and counter protectionism with open regionalism.

By adopting these principles, BRF partners can reinforce the initiative's importance as a stabilizing force in global trade, offering a cooperative alternative to unilateral tariffs, he said.

Mwencha noted that 52 African countries have signed on to the BRI, leading to transformative developments in areas such as transportation, industrial and economic zones, digital and telecommunications infrastructure, as well as healthcare and education.

From the Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya to the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway and Egypt's industrial parks, from increased technical and vocational training to digital infrastructure support from China, cooperation between China and Africa under the BRI has made significant achievements, he said.

Africa should continue to see the BRI as a catalyst for inclusive growth and global economic cooperation, he said.

In Mwencha's view, cooperation on the digital economy and AI should be prioritized under the BRF to foster inclusive growth, technological leapfrogging, and sustainable development.

He called on developing countries to promote cooperation in digital infrastructure development, capacity building in AI and digital skills, e-commerce and digital trade facilitation, and utilizing AI's role in sustainable development.

"By prioritizing these areas under the BRF framework, Africa can harness the digital economy and AI to drive job creation, industrial transformation, and global competitiveness while ensuring equitable and sustainable progress," he said.

Strengthening South-South cooperation with BRF partners will be crucial in bridging the digital divide and positioning Africa as a key player in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, he added.