From Global Times:

Although investment from Chinese investors in Africa are on the rise, the relationship between the investors and their local hosts has never been easy.

Among the reasons for this state of uneasiness is the few numbers of locals that Chinese investors employ.

Nowhere is this more evident than in Zambia, one of the leading recipients of investment from China in Africa.

At the height of presidential campaigns in 2008, President Michael Sata, then a leading contender, blasted Chinese investors for ferrying their fellow citizens to push wheelbarrows when local Zambians lacked jobs.

According to private market analysts, China’s economic rendezvous with Africa has undergone a major transformation in recent years, following disapproval of its policies and projects in some countries.

All over Africa, governments and their citizens were blaming the Chinese investors for hiring foreigners, namely Chinese nationals.

James Shikwati, executive director at the Inter Region Economic Network told the Global Times that there are Chinese communities in many African countries. Various estimates show that roughly 1 million Chinese reside in Africa, engaging themselves in various forms of activities.

Several African governments had to step in to insist that the Chinese companies hire more locals.

But that might soon change.

Cultural change

One Chinese-led institution set up in Nairobi, capital of Kenya aims to change the negative perception of Chinese investors.

China Information and Culture Communication (Kenya)Ltd (CICCK) set up shop in Nairobi – thanks to the forward-looking Embassy of China – with the aim boosting the number of Kenyans with some level of proficiency in the Chinese language and link them to potential Chinese investors for employment.

CICCK focuses on developing business communication skills relevant to Chinese investors among the Kenyan youth.

It was also set to enhance cultural exchange between Kenya and China. “This will go a long way to allay existing fears about the Chinese investors. We hope the larger number of locals taken up by the investors will lead to alleviation of the high unemployment rates,” Gao Wei, the CEO of CICCK, told the Global Times.

Written by Henry Neondo | Read more at Global Times