Xi emphasizes rural revitalization

Xi emphasizes rural revitalization

President Xi Jinping stressed the need to advance rural revitalization across the board, saying that the most arduous task in building a modern socialist country remains in the countryside.

▲ President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with farmers at an apple orchard in Ansai district of Yan’an, Shaanxi province on Wednesday. He was making a three-day inspection trip to Yan’an and Anyang, Henan province, that ended on Friday. [Photo/Xinhua]


Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his inspections of Yan’an in Shaanxi province and Anyang in Henan province from Wednesday to Friday.


During his first inspection tour following the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi urged studying and implementing the guiding principles of the congress, giving priority to the development of the nation’s agriculture and rural areas, consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation, and making tireless efforts to realize agricultural and rural modernization.


Xi has special connections with the rural areas of Yan’an — an old revolutionary base that used to be a poverty-stricken area of Shaanxi — as he spent seven years from 1969 living and working alongside farmers in Liangjiahe, a barren mountainous village in Yanchuan county, Yan’an.

He joined the CPC there and later became village Party chief — marking the beginning of his political career. Xi recalled his earnest wish then was “to make it possible for the villagers to have meat and have it often”.
  

In February 2015, Xi chaired a symposium on poverty alleviation in Yan’an to guide the old revolutionary base in advancing poverty relief work.
  

On Wednesday afternoon, Xi visited a village in Ansai district of Yan’an, where he wanted to see how local farmers’ lives are after they were lifted out of poverty, and how they are advancing rural revitalization.
  

While talking with local farmers, he recalled the period he spent in Liangjiahe as an “educated youth”, and said that he was happy to see the dramatic changes that had taken place in local areas.
  

Xi learned that local farmers have stable incomes, children enjoy good education, and the elderly benefit from basic medical insurance and their lives keep improving. He said that the changes taking place in the northern part of Shaanxi province are part of the growth of the whole of China.
  

He encouraged locals to keep working hard to live even better lives.
  

Xi stressed that the CPC serves the people wholeheartedly, and it works for the purpose of giving the people a better life.
  

He urged refraining from empty talk, and instead to take concrete action in comprehensively advancing rural revitalization and implementing the Party’s policies to benefit farmers in a down-to-earth manner.
  

In Yan’an, Xi also visited a middle school, where he expressed his hope that the school could carry on the “Yan’an spirit” and revolutionary traditions as well as foster talented people that meet the needs of the times.
  

On Friday morning, Xi visited the Red Flag Canal Memorial Hall in Linzhou city of Anyang. The site is to commemorate the people of Linzhou who built the 70-kilometer canal during the early years of New China in order to solve drought conditions that plagued locals for centuries.
  

Xi called for carrying on the “Red Flag Canal spirit” to make new contributions along the modernization drive journey. The spirit features “self-reliance, hard work, solidarity and selfless dedication”.
  

He also visited the Yin Ruins in Anyang, a site of the source of the archaeological discovery of oracle bones and an oracle bone script, which resulted in the identification of the earliest known Chinese writing. While there, he called for passing on traditional Chinese culture to firm up cultural confidence.

Why more foreigners want to know more about China.

Why more foreigners want to know more about China.

Lineo Kobeli , an International relations specialist from Lesotho, and now pursuing a doctorate in education at Beijing Normal University.

During her seven years in China, she is increasingly understanding what makes China attractive to the world. In her view, China’s rapid technological innovation and increasingly open international environment have attracted more and more foreigners to come here.

Lineo says: “Places like Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province are now entrepreneurial hubs; they have a lot of startups and a good environment for startups. In Guangzhou, the entrepreneurial environment has become increasingly international, attracting more and more foreign talents and foreign investors. And I find that now foreign companies want to seek even more in China, they are hungry for Chinese expertise.”

The development of China’s digital economy has also brought more and more convenience to people who work and live here. Lino believes that: “The future of China’s digital economy is bright. Whether it’s digital governance or data management, it’s done well to make sure that people are always connected to their own health insurance, education, and all of that information, and that connection can facilitate people’s lives.”

She is also keen to seize the new opportunities of China’s digital economy development, and promote the cooperation between the Guangdong Chamber of Commerce in Africa and Chinese live e-commerce platforms to promote specialty products such as cocoa and coffee beans from Africa to Chinese consumers, building a bridge for Africa-China trade.

‘’We want to promote more African products through live e-commerce, and also want to let Africa know more Chinese brand products.” Says Lineo

China provides a lot of innovative opportunities and new experiences for young foreigners like herself, and coming to China will make people really think outside the box.

Joseph Mendo’s lessons in China – I have seen the impossible made possible

Joseph Mendo’s lessons in China – I have seen the impossible made possible

Joseph Mendo, a doctorate at the School of International Relations of Peking University, coming from Cameroon, and also president of the China Africa Youth Federation says since coming to China in January 2015, he now has a deeper understanding of China.

“If you want to understand a country or a society, you have to understand people, including the spirit of the place.” says Mendo.

I have gone to a total of 30 grassroots villages. I went to Xing County, Luliang City, and Shanxi Province, and learned about China’s poverty alleviation. I and other students from Peking University, have also shared what we have experienced in China with General Secretary Xi Jinping.

“You make the impossible possible”, which is what I saw in Ningxia, adds Mendo. Because Ningxia also has arid areas, and it relies on grapes for rural revitalization.

China supplies Nigeria with solar-powered traffic lights

China supplies Nigeria with solar-powered traffic lights

In the Nigerian capital Abuja, China will install solar-powered traffic light control signals at 98 intersections. This will be a second phase of the project according to media reports. The first phase was implemented in 2015.

The Chinese ambassador to Nigeria Cui Jianchun, said that the project is a great symbol of China-Nigeria friendship, the project symbolizes “a concrete embodiment of the implementation” of the nine programs of China-Africa cooperation. Ambassador Cui further noted that, “this project will bring a lot of relief to the transportation system of Abuja, will be useful to the country, and will equally impact positively on the social life of local residents.”

The permanent secretary of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration, Adesola Olusade,  said the construction comes at a time when the FCT was in dire need of having its major road intersections signalized for ease of traffic flow and and create order.

“The era of energy supply through solar is fast overtaking the age-long energy supply through the national grid, which is mostly unreliable. The solar-powered traffic light system in the FCT is just desirable at this moment,” Olusade added.

Abuja being one of the fastest-growing cities in the world with and a fast-growing population is facing pressure on city infrastructure, including trafficmanagement. “Today’s event, therefore, could not have come at a better time as we seek to ensure ease of traffic and orderliness on our roads through the provision of traffic control signals at major road intersections,” said Muhammad Musa Bello, minister of the FCT.

Author: Hanane Thamik is currently a Ph.D. scholar at the School of Information Management, Wuhan University, simultaneously a member of the Morocco-China Friendship Exchange Association, the author of China Today, the former author of CGTN Africa, Africa-China Review, and the Canadian magazine ( Etats de splendeur ). She was chosen as Morocco’s youth representative for the Belt and Road initiative by the Moroccan embassy in China, the Arab youth participant in the 9th Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum 2020, and the Ambassador of Wuhan City to the world by Changjiang Weekly Magazine, and the Moroccan Youth Representative 2020 (FOCAC, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs). She also won the awards of the Belt and Road Tourism ambassador 2019, the Outstanding African Student in China 2018, the Cultural Achievement Award by UNESCO, the Wuhan University Outstanding International Students award 2019 and 2021, the Maotai scholarship “Excellent academic performance and outstanding overall performance 2019 and 2021,” the outstanding individual among international students fighting novel coronavirus pneumonia 2020, the only Moroccan winner of the essay contest named “experience China -our anti-epidemic story” 2020 (China Scholarship Council), the Chinese Government Outstanding International Student in China 2020 ( China Scholarship Council ),  the winner of the 5th “My Beautiful Encounter with China” essay contest for international students in China, and recently the first prize of the competition of the 37th Chu Cai Composition Competition. She was one of the successful 54 young people worldwide who has been selected to participate in a training program organized by the United Nations in Switzerland in 2019. She has also more than 20 publications among them the United Nations Geneva 2019 report, Peking University 5000-mile reports 2020 and 2021 which were handed to high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Beijing, and her most recent SCI paper, “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Sustainable Development in Electronic Markets,” which received attention from many experts across the world and was posted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on its official website.

Award Ceremony in Sierra Leone

Award Ceremony in Sierra Leone

The Chinese Ambassador and all the staff of the Embassy held the award ceremony in Sierra Leone. There were also several ministers of our country attending the ceremony, giving our students the opportunity to study for free. Some of them are blind, some are disabled, and some are difficult people. I am especially happy that some children are learning simple Chinese, As the Cultural Ambassador of Sierra Leone, as the leader of the Friendship Association of Leone and Africa, I would like to thank the Chinese government, our foreign ministry, our Chinese ambassador, and all the staff of Chinese embassy. In Sierra Leone, we can continue our efforts to spread the friendship between Sierra and China to the rest of the world.
Thank you Ambassador Hu Zhangliang and all the delegates for your remarks. I am very glad to see this video, which contains the introduction of China. It is very happy to see my photos and the people of our country, friends and family watching them on TV. I will continue to work hard, hope that all Africans in China and your country and China to do cultural exchanges, you can be better, I wish all the foreigners in China all the best, I hope the friendship between Sierra Leone and China will be passed on from generation to generation. I also wish that China and Africa will be better and better, China, and the whole world, Maria will continue to work hard.
Some parents of children sent me messages asking me to thank the Chinese government on behalf of their families. I hope my voice will be transmitted to the government and people of China. Those children and families in Sierra Leone who have been helped should thank you. Thank you China! thx to the Chinese government for the great support to the kids of Sierra Leone in the education life. Thank you the Chinese Ambassador Hu.

Biography of Ambassador LIU Yuxi

Biography of Ambassador LIU Yuxi

Born in Jiangsu Province in November 1961. University graduate.

2018- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Head of Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the African Union and Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

2013-2018 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Togo

Amb. LIU has joined the diplomatic service for more than 30 years. He was Minister Counselor in the Chinese Embassy in the Republic of France and Counselor in the Chinese Embassy in the Republic of Congo.

Amb. LIU was Vice Mayor of Cangzhou Municipal Government, Hebei Province. He also worked in the Liaison Office of China’s Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as Deputy Director-General of the General Office.

Married with one son.

The experience of fighting the epidemic with the Chinese people is an unforgettable memory in my life” – Hexiaona, a young Moroccan

The experience of fighting the epidemic with the Chinese people is an unforgettable memory in my life” – Hexiaona, a young Moroccan

“From agricultural transformation to industrial development, from e-commerce to education, China’s poverty alleviation practice has fully demonstrated China’s institutional advantages and the wisdom of the Chinese people, highlighted the governance capabilities of the Chinese government, and set an example for other countries in the world.”

In February this year, the Moroccan mainstream journal “Challenge Weekly” published an article entitled “China’s Poverty Alleviation Practice in the Eyes of a Moroccan Youth”, introducing China’s poverty reduction achievements to the world. The author of the article is Hanane Thamik, a Moroccan girl who is studying for a doctorate in e-commerce at Wuhan University. In China, she prefers to be called by her Chinese name – Hexiaona.

During her study abroad, Hexiaona visited Xing County, Shanxi Province under the organization of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. The local e-commerce poverty alleviation measures attracted her attention. “The agricultural products with distinctive local characteristics have been carefully sorted, deeply processed, and creatively packaged, and the price has doubled. Villagers use Internet retailers and live broadcast platforms to sell these agricultural products. While increasing income, it also brings new momentum to rural economic development.” In Hexiaona’s view, the Chinese government has vigorously popularized digital infrastructure and organized e-commerce training. The rapid development of rural e-commerce has become an important tool for farmers to get rid of poverty. During this visit, Hexiaona also put forward her own suggestions from a professional perspective on topics such as how to strengthen the construction of rural information service stations, establish e-commerce stations for poverty alleviation, and further cultivate e-commerce talents.

“Seeing is better than seeing. Studying in China has made me no longer limit my imagination to this country with a vast land, rich resources and a large population. I am proud of witnessing the vigorous development of China, and I am very proud of the fact that my trip was worthwhile and I have gained a lot. “Having lived in China for 8 years, Hexiaona has a deep affection for the land under her feet.

Hexiaona was deeply impressed by an ordinary Wuhan morning. The sky has just appeared a touch of fish belly white, the streets have been bustling with passers-by, sanitation workers are cleaning the streets, taxis are running through the streets, and hot noodles in snack shops have come out of the pot… “I am deeply moved by the hard work of the Chinese people. It is these ordinary workers who have created China’s development miracle.” She believes that China’s amazing development achievements in the past few decades are neither easy nor coincidental. “The leadership of the Communist Party of China has ensured the implementation and continuity of various policies, created a stable development environment, and safeguarded the country’s long-term peace and stability.”

During the prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, Hexiaona chose to stay behind to fight the epidemic with the Chinese people. She donated the 5,000 yuan she had accumulated and told the world the story of China’s fight against the epidemic with her personal experience. “Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people are united to fight the epidemic. This experience of fighting the epidemic with the Chinese people is an unforgettable memory in my life.” Hexiaona said emotionally.

Youth is the future of China-Africa friendship. He Xiaona is a member of the Africa-China Leadership Association, which regularly hosts webinars on topics such as China-Africa technology and business to build a platform for youth exchanges. Hexiaona writes weekly articles on Africa-China cooperation for the association. “I sincerely hope that young people in African countries will fully learn from China’s development experience and become the main force in Africa’s poverty reduction in the future, promote Africa’s economic and social development, and continue the friendship between African and Chinese people from generation to generation.” Hexiaona said.

Xi: Teamwork of China, Africa media crucial

Xi: Teamwork of China, Africa media crucial

President Xi Jinping called on Thursday for media outlets in China and African countries to become facilitators of people-to-people exchanges and guardians of equity and justice to jointly advocate global development.

Xi made the remark in a congratulatory message sent to the fifth Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation. The two-day event, which opened on Thursday in Beijing, was attended by more than 240 representatives from China and 42 African countries, including media workers and diplomats.

Noting that China and African countries are a community with a shared future, Xi said in his message that media outlets of both sides shoulder a significant responsibility in areas such as enhancing mutual trust and cooperation and maintaining world peace.

Since the forum was established 10 years ago, it has provided a major platform for advancing dialogue and cooperation between Chinese and African media outlets and played a positive role in deepening the China-Africa comprehensive strategic partnership, Xi said.

He expressed his hope that the media outlets in China and African countries will carry forward China-Africa friendship and cooperation and join hands in telling well the stories of both sides, thus making contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Since China and Senegal now co-chair the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Senegalese President Macky Sall also sent a congratulatory message to the forum.

Sall said the event, held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, is a sign of Chinese and African countries’ collective resilience and determination to move forward in implementing their common agenda.

He also praised the long-term tradition of Sino-African cooperation in culture, art and media through exchanges of various programs that promote reciprocal cooperation and mutual understanding between the peoples.

Over the past decade, the two sides have jointly undertaken a series of media cooperation projects for the benefit of people, including “The 10,000 Villages” project.

Aimed at providing 10,000 villages in Africa with digital satellite TV, this people-to-people exchange project was one of the 10 major cooperation plans proposed by Xi at the 2015 FOCAC Johannesburg Summit.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the forum, Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, said China is willing to work with African countries to actively build a global media environment that focuses on development and cooperation.

He also urged the two sides to enhance communication and share opportunities in such fields as digital technology and digital economy to help bridge the digital divide.

Gregoire Ndjaka, CEO of the African Union of Broadcasting, said in a video speech that the forum “is by far one of the most beneficial for Africa. This benefit is particularly evident in the training programs that China offered to African media practitioners.”

So far, China has provided training for more than 3,000 media workers from African countries.

The Kingdom of Morocco and the People’s Republic of China share a commitment to upholding the territorial integrity of all countries

The Kingdom of Morocco and the People’s Republic of China share a commitment to upholding the territorial integrity of all countries

The People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes that “the question of Taiwan is the most important, the most extremely important, and the most sensitive issue in Sino-American relations” and recalls Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visiting the Taiwan region on August 2 “in defiance of strong opposition and protests from China.” According to the Chinese government, this visit significantly violates the three Sino-American joint communiqués’ provisions, the one-China principle, and the political foundation of Sino-American ties.

Li Changlin, the Chinese ambassador to Morocco, reaffirmed his country’s position on the issue. According to the diplomat, this “controversial” visit “betrays American pledges to China.” In order to prevent the return of the law of the jungle, he added, “We have no choice but to protect our sovereignty, our integrity, and we argue that the principle of non-interference in the affairs of sovereign states cannot be disregarded or abandoned.” He stated that “until now, we have counted 181 countries with which we have established diplomatic relations following the one-China principle,” adding that “the one-China principle is the object of consensus of the international community and also constitutes a fundamental norm governing relations between China and foreign countries.”

The Chinese ambassador to Morocco remembers how important the Taiwan issue was to China. This issue immediately affects China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to Chinese perceptions, he said. The ambassador said in his statement that this crucial issue for China is also important for all nations that value peace and recalled the sacredness of the rule of not interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign States.

The ambassador reviewed the measures Beijing has taken to protect its integrity and recalled the military actions conducted in a “transparent and reasonable approach to oppose any aspirations at independence from Taiwan.” The Chinese ambassador also used this occasion to praise Morocco for its “continuous support for all topics of fundamental significance to China, including the Chinese position on Taiwan,” and to congratulate Rabat and Beijing on their “excellence” in diplomatic relations. Recall that Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, is the first senior US official to travel to Taiwan since the visit of Newt Gingrich, the previous Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the island in 1997. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed at a press conference following Pelosi’s visit that “the US one-China policy really hasn’t altered.” The head of American diplomacy was clear to state, “We do not favor Taiwan’s independence.”

Ambassador of Morocco to China Reiterates Country’s Adherence to One China Policy

Aziz Mekouar, Morocco’s ambassador to China, reaffirmed his country’s devotion to the one-China policy as the cornerstone of relations between the two brotherly nations. His Excellency the Ambassador emphasized that this membership is founded on the Kingdom’s core values, which are respect for national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other UN members. These values include consistency, responsibility, credibility, and dependability. He added, “Morocco renews its positions expressed many times, at different levels, both bilaterally and within international organizations, and continues to support the People’s Republic of China on this issue. The ambassador highlighted that the two countries are committed to strengthening their multi – faceted cooperation through the establishment of an institutionalized strategic partnership in order to intensify trade, promote investment, and open up new avenues for bilateral ties in all areas. The ambassador recalled that the Kingdom of Morocco attaches great importance to these relations.

Author: Hanane Thamik is currently a Ph.D. scholar at the School of Information Management, Wuhan University, simultaneously a member of the Morocco-China Friendship Exchange Association, the author of China Today ,the former author of CGTN Africa, Africa-China Review, and the Canadian magazine ( Etats de splendeur ). She was chosen as Morocco’s youth representative for the Belt and Road initiative by the Moroccan embassy in China, the Arab youth participant in the 9th Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum 2020, and the Ambassador of Wuhan City to the world by Changjiang Weekly Magazine, and the Moroccan Youth Representative 2020 (FOCAC, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs). She also won the awards of the Belt and Road Tourism ambassador 2019, the Outstanding African Student in China 2018, the Cultural Achievement Award by UNESCO, the Wuhan University Outstanding International Students award 2019 and 2021, the Maotai scholarship “Excellent academic performance and outstanding overall performance 2019 and 2021,” the outstanding individual among international students fighting novel coronavirus pneumonia 2020, the only Moroccan winner of the essay contest named “experience China -our anti-epidemic story” 2020 (China Scholarship Council), the Chinese Government Outstanding International Student in China 2020 ( China Scholarship Council ),  the winner of the 5th “My Beautiful Encounter with China” essay contest for international students in China, and recently the first prize of the competition of the 37th Chu Cai Composition Competition. She was one of the successful 54 young people worldwide who has been selected to participate in a training program organized by the United Nations in Switzerland in 2019. She has also more than 20 publications among them the United Nations Geneva 2019 report, Peking University 5000-mile reports 2020 and 2021 which were handed to high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Beijing, and her most recent SCI paper, “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Sustainable Development in Electronic Markets,” which received attention from many experts across the world and was posted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on its official website.

Learning from his China experience to boost Made in Africa products

Learning from his China experience to boost Made in Africa products

When he was still a 9th grader, Brice Nogou, from Cameroon, already knew that he wanted to create opportunities for others. He often jotted down his ideas in a notebook that he still keeps today.

A few years later, Brice embarked on a journey to China to pursue his studies in Computer engineering. He spent a total of five years in the Asian country, from 2015 to 2020. He first lived in Beijing for a year to complete his Chinese language program at Beihang University. Then he moved to southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality to join a bachelor of Computer Engineering program at Southwest University.

As he was immersed in his China experience, Brice started refining some of his early entrepreneurial ideas and brought them to life through AFeshop, the main project of his startup NogouTech.

The project aims at designing an electronic platform to support local manufacturers in promoting their products. It entails, on the one hand, helping them improve the visual presentation of their products through better packaging, marketing, and communication. And on the other hand, creating an e-commerce platform where they can easily carry out their various transactions.

Brice and his team worked on the AFeshop project part-time for the last three years and officially launched it this year on March 26 in Cameroon’s capital city Yaoundé.

In these edited excerpts from my conversation with Brice, we discuss how his experience in China has contributed to shaping the AFeshop project. He also tells me about the challenges he has faced and his plans for the future.

What is the story behind AFeshop?

Well. The story is a bit long, but I will try to summarize it.

So, I like to say that regardless of the challenges I encountered in China, it is a country that allowed me to discover myself.

Since I was a little kid, I have always loved traveling. It’s a passion passed on to me by my father. I knew the names of almost all the capitals of the countries in Asia, Europe, and others. However, I knew very little about African countries.

When I arrived in Beijing, I saw how important everything Chinese was. The people, the culture, the history, and so on. After my Chinese language year in Beijing, I moved to Chongqing. There, I enrolled in a Chinese-taught engineering course. However, in addition to courses relevant to my field, we also had to take Chinese culture and philosophy courses. And we had to pass those courses to graduate.

I could see that what makes the strength of the Chinese people is their interest in their own culture and their daily consumption of the products they manufacture themselves. I then wondered why we, as Africans, do not do the same. Why can’t we promote what we do locally? Why can’t we be the architects behind our daily tools, entertainment, and so on? And that’s how the idea for AFeshop came about.

Screenshot of the home page of AFeshop e-commerce platform.

We know that e-commerce in China is very advanced. Did Chinese e-commerce platforms influence you in any way as you developed the AFeshop project?

Definitively. When you have a dream, and you see that something similar is being implemented and having a significant impact on society already, a bit like in China with Alibaba and Taobao, it feels like you are taking a trip to the future.

Alibaba’s operational model for its platform inspired me significantly. However, Chinese society has its own reality and culture. So there are things that I have learned from them that I could not apply here in Cameroon.

What are the three main lessons you’ve learned from your time in China?

The first thing is working for the common good. When you work for the common good, it has a greater impact on each person. Working towards a shared vision is the first thing.

The second thing is to let the priority, the center, be ourselves. It’s crucial to design an educational system and a society that puts forward our culture and our way of seeing things. Then we can start thinking about including what comes from outside.

The third lesson is to try to build a stronger work ethic because I think the Chinese are people who value hard work and a job well done.

Soft launch of the AFeshop platform. Photo credit: AFeshop Facebook page

What challenges have you faced so far?

The technical challenges were related to the fact that I studied in China. So our program was more designed for Chinese engineers and to meet the challenges of Chinese society. As a result, I was more familiar with technologies and ways of doing things that did not necessarily correspond to those used by the engineers with whom I was going to work in Cameroon. For example, the backend of applications here [in Cameroon] is done in PHP, whereas there [in China], it is Node.js and other frameworks that we used. So, I had to adapt.

Another major challenge concerns human resources because some employees do not always have the appropriate professional attitude.

It has also been challenging to convince target users to put extra effort into using the platform. It is true that the penetration rate of smartphones in Africa is considerable and that more people are on social networks. However, people are not yet familiar with the electronic operations of e-commerce. They do not know, for example, how to create a delivery address, select an item and add it to their cart, check out, and so on. They are more familiar with the existing e-commerce model, which consists in posting photos on social media and receiving orders via messages.

The last challenge is a problem that is common to all entrepreneurs, which is the problem of funding. Things are not as quickly profitable as we would like.

AFeshop  and  PEJECIR Group signing a partnership. Photo credit: AFeshop  Facebook page

Where do you see AFeshop in 5 years?

In 5 years, I see AFeshop ideally becoming the go-to platform for Made in Africa products. A platform that has supported African entrepreneurs to automate their production and move from artisanal to semi-industrial or downright industrial. A platform that has allowed Made in Africa products to reassess themselves and aspire to something better.

We hope to be a platform available in several countries, with millions of users who can easily choose to consume locally-made products. We want Africans to be proud about primarily using what they manufacture by themselves. And also, when they consume Made in Africa products, they must be confident that these are quality products.

Our first mission is to convince ourselves that we can be better and achieve something extraordinary. After that, we will be able to convince the world.

About the author:

Gaelle Ayamou is a journalist, a communications specialist, and a researcher. She writes about startups and Africa-China relations. She also enjoys creating visual content about communication, education, as well as women and youth empowerment in Africa. Her research has mainly focused on media representations of Africa, Africa-China media relations, as well as the use of AI in journalism and communication and its ethical implications.