Get there, get started and get ahead

A passion for business is more important than learning mandarin or study in general

In the 12 years I have lived in Beijing, bilateral trade between Africa and China has ballooned from $10 billion in 2001 to more than $220 billion. But such statistics, the pride of government officials and business consultants, are meaningless to ordinary Africans looking for a better life.

Credible statistics that show the growth of Chinese entrepreneurs successfully carving out a livelihood in Africa do not exist, while figures of successful African business people in China are equally well hidden.

Despite the absence of such statistics, however, all one has to do is open your eyes to see the number of Chinese entrepreneurs throughout Africa, while in contrast African entrepreneurs in China seem to be very much limited to trading activities in Guangzhou.

On a significantly large scale, Chinese entrepreneurs have fearlessly entered the African market, some temporary, while many have developed permanent economic linkages. So this begs the question, where are the fearless African entrepreneurs in China?

For Africa's ambitious, hardworking and streetwise youth in search of a prosperous future, my advice is simple - learn some Chinese and come to China.

I believe an understanding of the Chinese business culture is more valuable than any MBA on offer. It is a tool that will feed you and put a roof over your head for the rest of your years. Make no mistake, doing business in China is not easy. It certainly takes time and ingenuity to make a breakthrough, but after you have learnt the necessary skills, you will never go hungry again.

It is not always easy to get into China in the first place, but fearless characters with a fire in their belly will find a way. You just need to get there, get into the system and make a start - the most difficult part - but if you are smart and flexible enough, the rest will take care of itself.

What we do not need are more professional students who hide in the comfort of academia, relying solely on scholarships, waiting in vain for an internship or some other breakthrough instead of taking the initiative themselves.

Due to the multi-ethnic and language realities of Africa, I believe Africans pick up Mandarin relatively quickly, but a good command of Mandarin is certainly not essential to conducting business in China. The skills of doing business and being streetwise, are.

I have met numerous African students who read, write and speak excellent Mandarin, but put them in a business environment and they often lack the most basic skills required for success, lacking independence, confidence and the hunger to come out on top. Too often they are complacent.

For the fearless African entrepreneurs, opportunities in China are boundless. Let's start with the language itself. With the continued growth of Africa-China relations, Africa will need Chinese language schools staffed with African teachers. With the increase of Chinese tourism to Africa, Mandarin-speaking African tour guides and tour companies are also needed.

Language competency aside, there are hundreds of thousands of Chinese traders selling Chinese-manufactured goods in Africa. Why aren't Africans opening retail shops throughout China and selling African or other internationally produced products?

The food and beverage industry in China is screaming out for development, especially in cities outside the first tier. That gap can be filled, if it is your passion.

China has more than 600 cities and to use an example from my country, South Africa, if there was one South African selling our country's wine in each city, each one would be able to carve out a living for him or herself.

Major first and second-tier cities could comfortably accommodate numerous salespersons. So we potentially have 1,000 livelihoods, not to mention massive benefit for the wine industry, and therefore more jobs created back home.

Import, export, services, manufacturing, consulting, teaching you name it. Just get here and get started. Make a plan and get on with it.

The author is a a South African who has been living in China for the past 12 years. He co-founded marketing and branding company AfricaCreate three years ago as a vehicle to promote African consumer brands in China.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 01/03/2014 page9)