China and Africa

Chinese home appliance giant Hisense Group has signed a cooperation agreement with related authorities in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa to build an intelligent bus system.

The move signifies Hisense's first-ever foray into the smart traffic segment overseas.

Hisense said the project is expected to finish within 21 months. Upon completion, local residents can receive real-time bus information through a mobile app as well as on digital screens at key public spots like bus stops.

Public transport firms can do real-time monitoring, remote control, intelligent scheduling of vehicles and match passenger flows and traffic capacity. This will help Ethiopia to improve operational efficiency of its public transportation, Hisense said.

Hisense had announced in December that, in partnership with Shandong Hi-Speed Group, it won a bid in Ethiopia to provide intelligent solutions for public bus services in Addis Ababa.

Addis Ababa is one of the largest cities in Africa with a population of about 5 million. Locals mostly use public transport for commutes. But, long lines and up to half-hour wait times are common at bus stations during peak hours.

Mu Sangang, general manager of the international department at Hisense TransTech Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Hisense Group, said the project is the first of the company's intelligent transport business overseas and is expected to improve the travel experience of local residents

Mu said Hisense plans to accelerate efforts to expand its intelligent transport systems in overseas markets such as South Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico, Slovenia and Serbia.

Upgraded public transport will aid passengers and reduce peak-hour traffic congestion, said Zhang Sihai, president of Hisense TransTech, in an earlier interview, adding tapping overseas markets is necessary to keep the company's intelligent traffic business growing.

Hisense, based in Qingdao, Shandong province, first tapped into this segment in 1998 and its innovative integrated solutions have been applied in 169 cities across China.

Its bus rapid transit or BRT solutions account for 70 percent of domestic market share, and its sales of traffic light control systems rank first in the country.

The Ethiopia project will help Hisense to further expand its presence overseas, said Zhao Meimei, assistant president of market consultancy All View Cloud.

Like Hisense, Chinese home appliance manufacturers are marching into overseas markets to seek new growth points and achieve long-term development, Zhao said.

Guan Jizhen, vice-chairman of the China Intelligent Transportation Systems Association, said Chinese enterprises have the ability to compete with their overseas counterparts in the intelligent transport segment on the global stage. They have started to introduce their technological standards systematically in overseas markets.

In November, Hisense said it plans to buy Siemens' Intelligent Traffic Systems, which provides solutions for effective road traffic management, for nearly $1 billion. The traffic division of the German group is a world leader in intelligent traffic services and solutions with a history of more than 100 years.

Nigerian president commissions Chinese-assisted airport terminal in economic hub​

Source: Xinhua| 2022-03-23 10:59:30|Editor: huaxia


Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari speaks at the commissioning ceremony of the Chinese-assisted airport terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, on March 22, 2022. (Photo by Emma Houston/Xinhua)

ABUJA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday commissioned the newly-built international terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in the economic hub of Lagos.

The Chinese-assisted project was designed to handle 20 million passengers in a year while creating 3,000 direct and indirect jobs, Buhari said at the commissioning ceremony in Lagos.

"With the delivery of this project, a new era of safety, security, and comfort has been ushered into the Nigerian aviation industry," the Nigerian president said.

He expressed confidence that the new terminal "would go a long way in contributing to the socio-political and economic prosperity of the country."

The facility is one of the four new international airport terminals built in the country's major airports to modernize operation and passenger facilitation. It consists of 66 check-in-counters, 16 immigration desks at arrival, 28 immigration desks at departure, and eight security screening points, among others.

Chinese ambassador to Nigeria Cui Jianchun told Xinhua that the project was very critical to the China-Nigeria cooperation and that infrastructure was of "paramount importance" to the most populous African country.

The project was executed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), which has been involved in many ongoing infrastructural projects, including rail and road construction in Nigeria.

It was done in partnership with the Chinese government, involving a loan of 500 million U.S. dollars from the Import-Export Bank of China and 100 million dollars in funding from the Nigerian government. ■


Photo taken on March 22, 2022 shows the interior view of the Chinese-assisted airport terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, on March 22, 2022. (Photo by Emma Houston/Xinhua)


Photo taken on March 22, 2022 shows the interior view of the Chinese-assisted airport terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, on March 22, 2022. (Photo by Emma Houston/Xinhua)

Strangelove said:

Click to expand...

Any excuse to post this very excellent video interview of two Africans leftists, researcher, analyst, writer. Pretty long but very worth your time. Covers alot of talking points, western hypocrisy, western attempt to label China actions in Africa as neo colonialism, debt trap, exploitation, American militarism in continent, Africom, Western attempt to smear China with cold war propaganda, China massive and extensive cooperation with Africans to improve living standards.

Interesting to hear their perspective and describe wat China is actually doing on the ground from Africans who appreciate wat China is doing to benefit Africa rather than from mouths and pens of Western imperialists.

One great example is how China sanctioned some companies when report came out of illegal activity by them. Isolated case I think. In contrast there were many previous cases by American companies who abused the system and committed illegal and corrupted activities in Africa with the elp of US officials, but no action were taken by US even after reports came out from UN and OECD etc.

There are several other good examples but I won't write them all.

LUSAKA -- Chinese ICT giant Huawei on Thursday expressed optimism that Zambia was destined for greater heights in its digital transformation agenda.

While acknowledging that there was still more space to support the digital environment in Zambia, Phil Li, the Huawei vice-president for the southern African region, said the current situation was encouraging compared to the past.

In remarks delivered during a media engagement meeting, the official said there has been an increased number of people in Zambia using digital platforms in recent years but expressed concern that most of the rural areas remain unconnected.

He said the company was happy to be part of Zambia's digital transformation through various projects such as the erection of communication towers in all parts of the country to enhance access.

According to him, the company's digital innovation leadership program, launched in collaboration with the government last month was a step in the right direction in building the digital environment in Zambia.

Under the partnership, Huawei will provide training to 500 students and 50 instructors in digital skills, construct a premier digital innovation hub to act as a center of excellence for ICT and establish a digital innovation scholarship under the patronage of the country's president over the next four years.

According to the official, having more local people trained in ICT will go a long way in transforming the digital space in the country as well as contribute to the country's economic development.

Simon Li, the Huawei managing director in Zambia, said the company has been a key partner to the achievement of some of Zambia's milestones Zambia has achieved in the ICT sector.

He said the deployment of over 1,009 telecommunication towers across the country, the commissioning of the country's first-ever data center as well as the first-ever 5G network launched in partnership with mobile service provider MTN Zambia, show that the company has been a strategic partner to Zambia's ICT development.

"Huawei sees itself as part of Zambia's future and it sees the recent investment in building a healthy and sustainable ecosystem will benefit many Zambian youths," he said.

Marine passenger terminal at Angola's Cabinda Port completed by Chinese enterprise

By Global Times Published: Apr 24, 2022 02:51 PM

A new marine passenger station at Angola's Cabinda Port was completed on Friday local time, which undergone a six-year construction by a Chinese enterprise.

The Cabina Port project, built by China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC), is a key project under the Belt and Road Initiative, and it entered construction in November 2016.

The port project, including the new marine passenger station and a freight terminal, is expected to be completed and put into use at the end of this year, which is designed to meet local demand for import and export of goods and passenger transportation, boosting local tourism development.

Over the past six years, the CEEC ensured the smooth progress of the project, overcoming difficulties including the outbreak of COVID-19, complex geological conditions and other challenges.

Angola's President João Lourenço said during the opening ceremony that the port project will effectively boost local employment as well as economic and social development, playing a vital role in the development of Cabinda.

Entering the new year, China has accelerated cooperation with African countries. In the first quarter of 2022, the trade volume between China and Africa reached $64.9 billion, a year-on-year increase of 23.0 percent, data from the General Administration revealed.

Ethiopia to have faster and more sophisticated internet & IoTs than US and Europe.

Ethio-Telecom partners with Huawei to launch pilot 5G services in Ethiopia​

By May 10, 2022


Ethiopia’s state-owned Ethio-Telecom on Monday evening launched a pre-commercial 5G services trial in the capital Addis Ababa in partnership with Chinese telecom giant Huawei.

Ethiopia’s first 5G services, which was launched across six mobile stations in Addis Ababa, is said to be part of the Ethiopian government’s digital transformation aspirations.

“We are pleased and honored to launch the world’s advanced fifth-generation network. We are committed to seeing a digital Ethiopia, which will uplift our people’s overall living conditions,” Frehiwot Tamiru, CEO of Ethio-Telecom, said during the launching event.
Tamiru said the 5G network service, characterized by the fastest speed and low latency and massive communication capability that offers service for up to 1 million connections within 1 square km, can unlock blazing fast speeds in more places, real-time responses and massive connectivity.

Tamiru noted that Ethio-Telecom will expand its pre-commercial trial service across the capital and regional cities, reaching up to 150 sites over the coming 12 months.

With high speeds, superior reliability and negligible latency, 5G will impact industries such as critical services requiring real-time decisions, manufacturing plants, remote healthcare, precision agriculture, as well as facilitate the Internet of Things (IoT), said Tamiru.
“This 5G service will provide our customers with best-in-class solutions, improve their experience and allow our enterprise customers to boost productivity, enhance operational efficiency, and introduce new solutions to their customers,” Tamiru said.

Ethio-Telecom, which is the sole telecom services provider in Ethiopia so far, said the pre-commercial trial of the 5G service was launched after a temporary 5G Spectrum approval by the Ethiopian Communication Authority while its strategic partner Huawei technologies deployed the 5G network.

Hou Wei, Vice President of Huawei Northern Africa, said as one of Ethio-Telecom’s strategic partners, Huawei will keep focusing on cooperating with Ethiopia’s state-owned telecom service provider through the provision of state-of-the-art solutions, reliable delivery, fast response and trustable maintenance.

“Huawei has been devoting (itself) to this market for more than 20 years, and we have observed the fast development and great evolution of the telecom industry in this country,” he said.

Ethio-Telecom said the full commercialization of the 5G service is dependent on the readiness and demand from the players in the ecosystem, which includes customers’ readiness to use the service as well as the availability of 5G-enabled devices and smartphones.
The company, which is recognized as one of Africa’s oldest telecom service providers, has more than 60.8 million subscribers, with about 25 million data and Internet users.

As part of its ambition to provide modern telecom service to its users, the company partners with Chinese tech companies, mainly Huawei and ZTE.

The company said it has already expanded 3G and 4G networks throughout the East African nation effectively, achieving 97 percent telecom services coverage while densifying the network and upgrading the earlier technologies to the latest ones.

CNOOC, Uganda petroleum authority conduct oil spill drill

By Global Times Published: May 17, 2022 04:31 PM Updated: May 17, 2022 04:25 PM


CNOOC's oil and gas extraction facility Photo: Courtesy of CNOOC

The local branch of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) in Uganda and the Petroleum Authority of Uganda conducted the country's first oil spill emergency drill in Hoima, which will help enhance the nation's response capability to deal with pollution emergencies, the company told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The drill simulated the rupture of inflow pipeline between the No.3 well filed in Kingfisher oilfield and the central processing station, incorporating different models and various scenarios, which fully tested the emergency response capability and collaboration between Uganda and oilfield operators in case of sudden crude oil spills.

Chen Zhuobiao, the president of CNOOC Uganda, said that the company will continue strengthening safety awareness and urge contractors to implement safety and environmental protection measures to ensure that construction work for the Kingfisher oilfield project progress smoothly.

A local official said that the drill improved the emergency response capability and practical skills for local oilfield operators, while enhanced the coordination capability of emergency disposal for various departments of the Uganda government, adding that it significantly promoted safe and efficient development of local oilfields.

Uganda discovered the country's first commercial oilfield in 2006 in the Lake Albert area, covering an area of 1,518 square kilometers with 6 billion barrels of reserves. CNOOC-participated Lake Alberta project officially launched construction in February 2022, which is expected to begin production early 2025. The project will bring new development opportunities for Uganda to become an important crude oil producer in East Africa.

Huawei intensifies training to expand ICT talent pool in Kenya​

Source: Xinhua 2022-05-26 20:10:31

Chinese telecoms firm Huawei has intensified its training in a bid to expand the information communication technology (ICT) talent pool in Kenya, hoping to train 20,000 people over the next three years.

NAIROBI, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese telecoms firm Huawei has intensified its training in a bid to expand the information communication technology (ICT) talent pool in Kenya, an official said Wednesday.

Chief Public Relations Officer at Huawei Kenya Dalmar Abdi said in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, during a tour of the Huawei Training Center that the technology firm is committed to bridging the practical ICT training and certification gap in Kenya.

"To this end, we have partnered with 80 institutions of higher learning to provide their ICT students with practical ICT exposure with modern machines," Abdi said.

The Huawei Training Center is housed in the African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute (AFRALTI) in Nairobi and is expected to train at least 200 high-level advanced ICT experts and 5,000 ICT technical experienced professionals.

He noted that the Chinese technology firm also aims to train another 2,500 civil servants and 12,000 graduates, students and youth in Kenya.

The Huawei Training Center also serves 28 countries in the East, Central and Southern African regions.

"The aim of the government-approved training center is to provide certified theory and practical learning and therefore facilitate a steady flow of talented ICT human resources for Kenya's economy," Abdi said.

He revealed that Huawei will expose students to a wide array of the latest innovative equipment in mobile networks, fiber networks, energy solutions and other integrated telecommunications infrastructure.

"We remain committed to supporting Kenya to develop its ICT skills across various levels and more so in government services to better serve Kenyans. We will continue supporting the country not only in building ICT infrastructure but also to transfer knowledge through various courses to ensure there are well-skilled professionals in the market," said Abdi, adding the Huawei training center is part of the firm's move to support government initiatives to grow the ICT sector as outlined in Kenya's Digital Economy White Paper.

Liberian officials attend lecture on China's reform and opening-up​

By Nicholas D. Nimley in Monrovia, Liberia | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2022-05-26 16:50

Liberian government officials attend a lecture on China's reform and opening-up in Monrovia, Liberia on May 25, 2022. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

A lecture on China's reform and opening-up in Monrovia, Liberia on Wednesday was attended by senior Liberian government officials.

China's Ambassador to Liberia Ren Yisheng outlined the process of China's reform and opening-up, which started in the late 1970s. The process included different stages, including an exploration stage that started in 1978, and the initial establishment of a socialist market economic system during the 1990s, he said.

Ren said these stages brought about the opening up of China to the outside world through special economic zones and the establishment of a basic economic system with public ownership as the main body, as market access to the private economy was further relaxed.

Following his lecture, several senior Liberian officials from the ministries of public works, finance and development planning, education, and information and culture affairs who were in attendance said they had a deeper understanding of the subject.

Deputy public works minister Joseph Todd said: "China's reform is impressive, and we need to learn from you as a country. Liberia has a lot of challenges, and sharing these experiences with us will help the country's infrastructure development by taking us from where we are to another level in development".

For Benedict Kolubah, assistant minister and the government's point person on the national development plan, known as the Pro-Poor Agenda for prosperity and development, said the lecture has outlined methods for Liberia to strengthen its practical cooperation with China. He expressed the need for a technical team to be established between China and Liberia that will help in knowledge sharing and transfer in order for Liberia to experience maximum development in the years to come.

Assistant finance minister Patience Kollie-Lawson lauded Ren for the lecture and called on the Chinese government to provide more scholarships for Liberians, because doing so, she said, will help change the mindset of Liberians toward their country.

Deputy education minister Tarnue M. Bongolee, a Chinese-trained scholar, thanked the ambassador for the lecture. Bongolee praised China for its support to the country's school meals program, and the opportunities provided to Liberians to develop their capacities.