Beijing, 6 September 2024 (TDI): The eighth Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs took place on Friday as part of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), with delegates emphasizing new opportunities for integrating China-Africa industrial chains.
Potential areas for growth include digital infrastructure, data centers, and smart cities.
The conference attracted a wide range of companies from traditional industries such as energy, mining, infrastructure, and finance, alongside emerging sectors like electronics, technology, communication satellites, and biomedicine.
Approximately 1,000 participants attended the event, reflecting significant interest from African nations.
Phuti Jackson Mampa, CEO of a South African security company, expressed enthusiasm about the increase in Chinese investment across critical areas such as infrastructure, information technology, communications, and agriculture.
“Africa is rich in resources, with abundant arable land, a growing population, and mineral resources, but many are unemployed and living in poverty,” Mampa said.
“Collaboration with China could bring substantial benefits to Africa.”
Didier Nkurikiyimfura, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer of the Rwanda-based Smart Africa Alliance, highlighted the untapped potential for digital collaboration between China and Africa.
He stressed that technology is crucial to accelerating Africa’s stalled transformation and modernization, areas where China holds a competitive advantage.
Search for Digital Solutions
Many African countries are looking for digital solutions like digital infrastructure, data centers, smart city development, e-agriculture, and financial payment systems, Nkurikiyimfura said.
He suggested that specific collaborations could be tailored to the needs of each country.
A spokesperson from 4Paradigm, a Chinese AI firm that helped build a smart hydropower system for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, echoed these sentiments, stating that the company aims to empower more African industries through AI, thereby upgrading infrastructure and modernizing industries.
Joseph Kahama, Secretary General of the Tanzania-China Friendship Promotion Association, identified infrastructure as a key area for further integration.
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He noted that while China excels in financing and building infrastructure, Africa faces a significant infrastructure gap.
“Constructing ports, roads, and modern railways will make product movement easier, faster, and cheaper for Africans,” he said.
The business community has long played a crucial role in fostering China-Africa relations, with China serving as Africa’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, and trade volumes between the two regions steadily increasing.
