Africa wants to engage with China as it becomes increasingly influential in the world, Ghanaian President John Kufuor said in Accra on Wednesday.

Africa is determined to seek partners who can help implement the New Partnership of Africa Development (NEPAD), an ambitious blueprint for Africa's future development and self reliance after decades of post-independence construction.

"China is looming as a world economic power and naturally. Africa wants to engage with China," Kufuor said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

Although rich in natural resources, Africa has long lagged far behind the global development. Traditional friendship and newly-formed economic ties between China and Africa could help bring investment and technology into the continent, Kufuor said.

His comments came ahead of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) due to be held from Nov. 3-5.

The conference, to be attended by some 30 African heads of state or government including Kufuor, will be the highest-level and largest-scale meeting between Chinese and African leaders since China and African countries started to forge cooperative ties in the 1950s.

The year of 2006 has been described as China's "Year of Africa" as several important events concerning China-Africa relations fall in this year.

China released the African Policy at the beginning of this year, putting forward its proposals for all-round cooperation with Africa in various fields in the coming years.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao visited 10 African countries, including Ghana, in April and June this year respectively.

"I think the description is correct," Kufuor said. "In the past one or two years China has made very significant move to Africa ..and China-Africa relationship is being lifted to all-high level of cooperation."

Chinese and African officials have expressed the desire of developing cooperation economically, culturally and politically. "I know African leaders are going to China to negotiate for more cooperation," he said.