2018年CRI Africa, the next blue chip in energy

At the ongoing 1 12th Photovoltaic Power Expo in Shanghai, many companies are eyeing the African continent as their next market.

Our reporter Fei Fei has more.

Zhao Wei, the Overseas Sales Manager of Shouhang Resources Saving Technology, is one of the keen watchers of the African energy market.

"Because the power sector 2 in many African countries is still less developed, we are very interested in the African market. Though China has a large market, for us, it is getting to the saturation 3 point. So we are looking to the overseas market for our strategic development."

Beijing Africa Center CEO Tracy Qi says blackouts were part of people's daily lives when she first landed in Africa nine years ago.

"For example, when I was in South Africa, I was staying in a local family and we were cooking dinner, chopping veggies and stuff. And all of sudden, the power was off. I still remember we lit up candles and started to sing in the dark. The power was not resumed until the next day. So many African families would have diesel 4 generators 6 in case of such sudden blackouts."

At the same time, as many parts of the world are quickly aging, African youth makes up over half of the overall population. The population of Africa is also expected to reach 2.4 billion by 2050.

To meet the demands of such a fast-growing population, African governments are seeking the help of companies with expertise 7 and technology, such as those from China.

Beryl Lomotey, Economic Counsellor from the Embassy of Ghana based in Beijing, says Chinese companies can provide affordable 8 products to their people.

"Well, Ghanaians observed and they have realized that China actually produces on a large scale. And I think with economies of scale, it shows that in the end, the prices are lower as compared to the other countries. With Ghana being a developing country, our income is not very high. And so we believe that China's [products are at] the level that's our Ghanaian compatriots or Ghanaians could easily afford. "

Humphrey Geiseb, Counsellor from the Embassy of Namibia in China, says that introducing Chinese investment will benefit the society as a whole.

"Well, they [Chinese companies] can come and put up generator 5 factories in Namibia. So we can create jobs and we can lift a number of people out of poverty as China has done lifting 400 million people out of poverty. That's a wonderful experience for all mankind that we also want to duplicate in Namibia."

However, Lomotey notes that understanding the market is the key to the success of businesses.

"They would be able to pursue some feasibility studies to know which particular products will be good for Ghana. Because Ghana somehow is different from China because we don't have winter. So we believe that some of the solar resources that are brought straight from China to Ghana may not benefit us so much because of the kind of climate or weather that we have. And so if they are to set up there, they will surely do further studies to know which one would suit us."

African countries are also preparing for the Forum 9 on China-Africa Cooperation due to take place in September in Beijing.

For CRI, this is Fei Fei.