Young professionals educated in China are set to fuel the workforce of the most progressive companies in Africa, says Norbert Haguma, founder of the Young African Professionals and Students and the chief executive of Kiziga.com.
More African students are now studying in China, thanks to the development of economic and trade relations between the two sides and China's growing economic stature.
During a recent visit to Cairo and Maputo, I heard frequently nihao or xieixie (meaning "how are you" and "thank you" in Chinese) in the street. More surprisingly, when I was giving a speech at the Confucius Institute at Cairo University, students asked me questions in Mandarin that sounded far better than my own Hunan-accented Mandarin.
Taking Libreville's main coastal road with palm trees swaying in the Atlantic breeze, one could easily imagine it being an upmarket French resort.
There is a common perception that all the sub-Saharan African nations are "least developed countries", but there are some exceptions such as Gabon that are prompting Chinese companies to chalk out new business strategies to stay ahead.
Sydoine Moudouma says it can be difficult for the Chinese as relative outsiders to operate in Gabon when the country retains such close links to the French.
While more people are realizing that China and Africa enjoy an important relationship, some people may think that the same does not apply to the continent's former French colonies, where France's interests tend to be more entrenched.
Although China's increased involvement in Gabon is a recent development, diplomatic links between the two countries were first established in 1974. This followed Gabon's wish to expand political ties and Omar Bongo taking power in 1967.
Perceptions about Chinese workers in Africa have undergone a sea change with young, talented and highly educated professionals offering a new perspective to China's relationships on the continent.
Chen Hao has good reason to prefer Beryl Markham's West with the Night to the more popular Out of Africa by Karen Blixen. Chen identifies herself with the free spirit embodied by Markham, an adventurer, horse racer and bush pilot who became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean from east to west.
Meaningful engagement between Chinese and African students, particularly through volunteer programs, will translate into solid physical investments for the future, particularly in the private sector, experts say.
While trade in goods and services between Africa and China continues to paint an impressive picture with breathtaking growth in recent years, it is the recent changes in the trade in human resources that are now beginning to reveal the emergence of a very different relationship.
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