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China-Africa SMEs Convention 2016 Held in the Yangtze River Delta

China-Africa SMEs Convention 2016 was held in Shanghai, Ningbo and Yiwu from June 7th through 10th, 2016. This Convention is supported by the African Union, organized by Global Alliance of SMEs (GASME), Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Zhejiang Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, and co-hosted by South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Burkina Faso Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mali Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Togo Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

This Convention is the successor of large-scaled China-America SMEs Matchmaking and China-Europe SMEs Matchmaking organized by GASME. Mr. Salimou Bamba, Policy Officer of the Department of Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission, attended this Convention followed by more than 50 African entrepreneurs.

Distinguished African guests to this Convention also include: Mr. Anani Demuyakor, Ghanaian Ambassador to China, Mr. Ojemame Olusola Orevba, Minister of Nigerian Embassy in China, Mr. Mohammad Shehu, Senior Counsellor of Nigerian Embassy in China, Mr. IKURU Ubelejit, Head of Chancery of the Consulate General of Nigeria, Shanghai, Mr. John Paschal Mlingwa, Representative of the Tanzania Embassy, Ms. Oluranti Doherty and Mr. Basim Mostafa Hamza Hosam, Managers of the Export Development Finance Department of African Export-Import Bank, Mr. Essohouna Meba, President of Togo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Broohm Djahlin, General Director of Togo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Yaw Boakye Yiadom, Director of Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. James Olobo, Director of Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Haangala Laurian Himwaami, CEO of Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Mr. Godfrey Simbeye, Executive Director of Tanzania Private Sector Foundation. Distinguished Chinese guests to this Convention include: Mr. He Weiweng, Vice Chairman of GASME, Expert on Propaganda of State Council Information Office, and former Economic and Commercial Counselor of Consulate-General of the P.R. China in New York, Mr. Frank Cao, Secretary-General of GASME and Chinese Advisor to Christian Wulff, former President of Germany, Mr. Wang Yong, Vice President of China-Africa Development Fund, Mr. Jin Wensheng, Deputy Director of Asia Pacific Daily, Mr. Gang Yong, Deputy Director of Ningbo Municipal Commission of Commerce, and Mr. Zhao Yongqiang, Vice Minister of the Asia African Department of the Shanghai Foreign Investment Development Board.

The theme of this Convention is Promoting Win-Win Cooperation between Chinese and African SMEs for a Greater Future.

Mr. Salimou Bamba, Policy Officer of the Department of Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission, has pointed out in his speech that “the landscape of Africa has changed over the past 20 years, with its economic growth registering among the top across the world. We recognize the role of foreign investors in the development of the potential of African economies and the progress achieved. More than 2,000 Chinese enterprises are present in more than 50 African Countries and this number is expanding”. GASME has provided a highly efficient platform for the China-Africa cooperation, facilitating the matchmaking between Chinese and African enterprises. This Convention is to guarantee the matchmaking so as to ensure the efficiency and quality of China-Africa cooperation.

Mr. Anani Demuyakor, Ghanaian Ambassador to China, has pointed out in his speech that the time-honored China-Africa relation has been steadily improving and has opened a new chapter after President Xi’s visit to Africa last year. The cooperation between China and Africa has always been government-initiated over a long period of time. But now a pleasant trend has been witnessed that Chinese and African private companies start to cooperate, which will show its advantages gradually in the future as the two sides can help and learn from each other.

Shanghai, Ningbo and Yiwu are selected as hosts to this Convention considering their attraction to African enterprises as well as high attention these three places have attached on the imports of African products and construction of factories in Africa.

African entrepreneurs visited the Yiwu Small Commodities Market known as the “Largest Small Commodities Market in the World”, and spoke highly of the scale and mode of operation of this market. Mr. He Weiwen, Vice Chairman of GASME, said that Yiwu was a significant host of this convention as it had developed into such a grand scale from the scratch. As the Largest Small Commodities Market in the World, Yiwu sends over 2,000 containers each day and its imports are worth 100 million US dollars. There are more than 100,000 permanent foreign buyers here. Vice Chairman Mr. He Weiwen shared three lessons from Yiwu development with African entrepreneurs and guests: unremittingly develop the commodity market and trade; upgrade industries in time; develop cross-border e-commerce in large scale. Meanwhile, Mr. He also offered three suggestions: establish the “African center” in Yiwu so as to enable African enterprises to “buy globally and sell globally”; Chinese enterprises go to Africa to set up overseas warehouses and invest industrial parks; the two sides cooperate to build a cross-border e-commerce platform so as to pursue common development in broader fields.

As trade between China and Africa intensifies, there is greater need for the matchmaking between Chinese and African SMEs. This Convention emerges in response to this need. These African enterprises coming here for face-to-face negotiations with over 800 Chinese enterprises are selected out of 1000 African ones having registered for this Convention and their fields include IT, electric engineering, mechanical engineering, bio-medicine, medical instrument, new energies, clothing, hardware, financial insurance, construction engineering, mining, international trade, and modern services. Some Chinese and African enterprises have signed Letters of Intent and some have signed contracts on the spot. All the participants have recognized the practical significance of this Convention.

Anqiu boyang Machinery Manufacture Co., Ltd from Shandong Province have had friendly and fruitful exchanges with several enterprises from Togo, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, as well as Presidents of Ghanaian and Ugandan Chambers of Commerce, and achieved initial intents of cooperation, laying a solid foundation for further cooperation. This company is in high need of African partners in areas of construction engineering and mechanical products. This Convention timely answers their needs. The General Manager of this company has spoken highly of this platform and expressed his sincere gratitude.

It is worth noting that African enterprises’ list of needs for trade has implied the changing and expanding nature, with the focus shifting from textile, light industry and labor-intensive products to high-tech and high value-added mechanical and electrical products. Their scope of cooperation has expanded to cover agriculture, infrastructure, processing, resource development, finance, commodity trade and logistics. Emerging areas such as new energies and IT have also displayed great potential.

In response to the Ten Cooperative Plan that Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed at the opening ceremony of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, GASME officially launched the 1000 China-Africa SMEs Partnership Program. Mr. He Weiweng, Vice Chairman of GASME, Mr. Frank Cao, Secretary-General of GASME, Mr. Essohouna Meba, President of Togo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Godfrey Simbeye, Executive Director of Tanzania Private Sector Foundation and Mr. Jin Wensheng, Deputy Director of Asia Pacific Daily went to the stage to declare the launch of the program. The objective of this program is to achieve matchmaking between 1000 Chinese enterprises and 1000 African ones so as to link the advanced technologies, management experience and rich capitals with the great potential of African SMEs.

Sino-Africa Mechatronics Plant International Cooperation Union and Tanzania Private Sector Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the Convention. Zhejiang Yunzhaolong Asset Management Co. Ltd and Togo Chamber of Commerce and Industry also signed a Memorandum of Understanding, becoming another fruit of this China-Africa SMEs Convention.

This Convention is organized by Reliconn, Ningbo Bulushan Business Management Co. Ltd., Zhejiang Yunzhaolong Asset Management Co. Ltd, GASME (Shanghai) Event Management Co. Ltd and Shanghai Zhixiang Brand Planning Co. Ltd.


AU Policy Officer Salimou Bamba delivered a speech


Ghanaian Ambassador Anani Demuyakor delivered a speech


Vice Chairman He Weiwen delivered a speech


Vice President Wang Yong delivered a speech


Secretary-General Frank Cao delivered a speech


Launching Ceremony of the 1000 China-Africa SMEs Partnership Program


Sino-Africa Mechatronics Plant International Cooperation Union and Tanzania Private Sector Foundation signed a MOU


Zhejiang Yunzhaolong Asset Management Co. Ltd and Togo Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed a MOU


Venue


Venue


Matchmaking Site


Matchmaking Site


Africa Delegates visited Zhejiang Yunzhaolong Asset Management Co. Ltd


Africa Delegates visited the selected Chinese company


Africa Delegates visited the selected Chinese company


Group photo