Seeing Africa is believing in Africa

Its image is changing among Chinese tourists and entrepreneurs with investment opportunities coming to the fore

What is the first thing an average Chinese person may think of when asked to describe Africa?

Perhaps it is its big-game animals, such as lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards and rhinos, or maybe they picture themselves on safari. For some, particularly those affected by images in the media, their first thought may be of a hot and dry continent hampered by civil wars, corruption, disease and poverty.

While the former may appeal to some, the latter would almost certainly scare all but the bravest away.

Yet the Chinese who have visited Africa have a different perception. Spotting investment opportunities and virgin markets, many have opted to live and work on the continent long-term.

Zhuo Wu arrived in Kenya as an employee of a Chinese company in 1996. He had just graduated from Hebei University of Engineering, and despite holding a negative perception of the continent he saw an opportunity to learn English.

Two decades on, he now runs his own business in Nairobi and has visited more than 10 other African nations. "Before coming to Africa, I had an impression that the continent was underdeveloped and insecure," he recalls. "But when I arrived at Nairobi, I found a clean city with a good climate, friendly people and huge business opportunities."

Zhuo, who is vice-chairman of the China General Chamber of Commerce in Eastern Africa, says the continent has rich natural resources, beautiful scenery, good medical facilities and, for the most part, is peaceful.

This is in addition to its spectacular wildlife, such as the Maasai Mara wildebeest migration between July and September, he adds.

Zhuo's desire to help fellow Chinese to see Africa for themselves led to him establishing This is Africa (Kenya) Travel Agency Ltd. He also owns China Ceramic and Furniture City, a company selling construction materials.

Despite the fact that conflicts are inevitable as Africa navigates deep-rooted ethnic, religious and regional divides, Zhuo says his experience gives him confidence that the continent is on the right path.

Jiang Xue's opinion of Africa changed after trips to Uganda and Kenya as a tourist.

"The two countries' capitals are clean and tidy, and security is not as bad as I thought," she says. "I didn't carry all my money with me whenever I went out, as I'd been advised back at home not to. And the state of people's hunger is not as bad as it's portrayed by the Western media."

Although all the people she interacted with were well educated, she says the Kenyan government should do more to enroll street children in school. "It's discouraging to see children in the street begging for food instead in school," she says, adding that the traffic jams in Kenya and the relatively high cost of living compared with Uganda were also negatives.

"In Uganda, a five-star hotel charged us $100 a night, and a dinner for four was $40. Yet in Kenya, the accommodation was $250 a night and dinner cost $70," she says.

Angie Gao, who visited Nairobi last month for an international agrochemicals exhibition, says Kenya offers many investment opportunities and that her company, which makes soluble fertilizers, is looking to enter the East African market.

edithmutethya@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/07/2016 page26)