Fund urges better legal system for young Chinese in Africa

Liu Hao, CEO of the China-Africa Development Fund, called for a better legal environment for Chinese to pursue "their dreams" on the continent.

"Many young people have gone to the continent out of their passion and fervor in pursuit of their dreams," Liu says. "But the legal system is not sound and natural conditions pose many difficulties and challenges to young people that have arrived on the continent with their suitcases filled with ambitions."

During a conference in Beijing on Oct 20 hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce and the China-Africa Development Fund, young government employees from China shared their experiences working in Africa.

Meng Chun, an official from the Communist Youth League of China, says the session aimed to encourage more ambitious and aspiring young people to be brave enough to pursue their dreams in Africa.

She says similar seminars were held last September at government offices, public institutes and banks and more than 1,000 young people talked about their inspiring experiences.

He Yali, a representative at the China-Africa Development Fund who was among the first batch of the firm's staff members sent to Africa in 2007, says that despite challenges and obstacles, the experiences on the continent were a once-in-a-lifetime treasure.

"I initially made up my mind to go to Africa mostly due to my curiosity and the desire to grab this opportunity," He said.

"In spite of all my preparation, I was still in awe of the continent, and I'm more than convinced that the continent has an abundance of opportunities and chances, as long as you are ready."

The fund, designed to make investment in the African economy more sustainable, was set into motion by then-president Hu Jintao at the Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2006.

The fund's investments in Africa are directed at prioritized issues, including infrastructure, agriculture, processing and manufacturing. One of the fund's first projects was investing in a gas thermal power generation project in Ghana in 2008 in cooperation with Shenzhen Energy Investment Co Ltd. The first phase of the project created 200 megawatts in installed capacity and its total investment is about 1 billion yuan ($161 million).

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/24/2014 page3)