Category: Business
China’s Once Obscure Auto Brands Are Building a Loyal Following in Critical African Markets
The Haval Jolion's jump to number two in South Africa's SUV market is the latest indication of the growing popularity of Chinese-made vehicles in Africa. Great Wall’s P Series pickup is also now a top-five brand in SA, Africa's largest automotive market.
South Africa’s Chinese Communities in Shock After Last Week’s Violence
Chinese merchants in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province are digging through the rubble of their looted stores and burned out factories following last week's spasm of mass violence that left more than 200 people dead and caused $1+ billion in property damage. ...
Chinese Businesses in South Africa Form Armed Self Defense Groups to Protect Their Property From Looters
Chinese business owners in KwaZulu-Natal's third-largest city Newscastle are forming armed civil patrols to protect their property and residents from the violent protests that have steadily escalated since July 8th, according to a report published by the Chengdu Commercial Daily newspaper. The Newcastle area ...
Professor Li Anshan Explains Why is Africa Important to China
With the triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit that will take place online and in Senegal less than three months away (it will likely occur in September), there's growing speculation as to what will be on the agenda and what that will say about Beijing's evolving priorities ...
The Haval Jolion Highlights The Major Inroads Chinese Cars Are Making in the African Auto Market
The popular South African auto review site cars.co.za just couldn't be more effusive about Great Wall Motors' new Haval Jolion SUV. "Should you buy the Jolion," the online review asked rhetorically, "you’d be silly not to." But the ...
Nigerian Transportation Minister Tells Local Contractors “They Are Not Qualified” To Build Infrastructure Like the Chinese Do
Nigeria's outspoken transportation minister Rotimi Amaechi delivered a blunt message to local construction companies who've long complained that they're shut out of bids for the large infrastructure projects that often go to Chinese contractors: "We are not using our local contractors because they are not ...
Transsion is Crushing the Competition in Africa’s Rebounding Mobile Phone Market
While African economies continue to grapple with the effects of the COVID-19-induced economic slowdown, consumer spending on mobile phones is on the rebound with Shenzhen-based device giant Transsion leading the way, according to the latest figures published by the global technology consultancy IDC.
The Powerful Head of Ghana’s Cocoa Industry Tells Farmers Not to Worry About China’s Entrance in the Market
Joseph Boahen Aidoo (photo) is working hard to allay fears among Ghanaian farmers that China's (still very small) emergence as a cocoa exporter is not a threat to their livelihoods. The CEO of the Ghanaian Cocoa Board, a group that represents ...
MTN CEO Tells Shareholders He Wants to Try Again To Get an Ethiopian Telecom License
MTN chief executive Ralph Mupita told his company's shareholders on Friday that if given the chance, he'd like to resubmit a bid for an Ethiopian telecom license. MTN and its backers from the Silk Road Fund of China were outbid last ...
Uganda Wants to Make It Big in China’s Booming Coffee Market
Uganda, like many African countries, suffers from an enormous trade deficit with China. Last year, according to UN figures, Uganda exported just $40 million worth of goods to China but imported more than $1.3 billion in return. The government in Kampala ...
South Africa’s MTN and Its Chinese Backers Look Like They’re Going to Mount Another Bid For An Ethiopian Telco License
South African telecom company MTN together with the state-owned Silk Road Fund of China are reportedly preparing to make another bid to secure a telecom license in Ethiopia. MTN was outbid last week by a Kenyan-Japanese consortium ...
Even If the DRC is Able To Re-Negotiate Its Mining Contracts With The Chinese and Others, It’s Still Not Going to Help Ordinary People, Says Expert
A leading Congolese mining expert wants to dispel the notion that President Félix Tshisekedi's efforts to renegotiate foreign mining contracts is going to benefit ordinary people. "It is, of course, a first step," acknowledged Jean Pierre Okenda, a well-known expert in DRC mining issues and head of the extractive ...