Bilateral Market Information Between African Countries and

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AFRICA
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S SILK ROAD
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CHINA AND INDIA
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S NEW ECONOMIC FRONTIER
In addition to private consulting companies, the governments of China and India, as well as African countries, are equally active in facilitating information flows on bilateral trade and investment opportunities between
China and Africa as well as between India and Africa. The Chinese government has setup centers for investment and trade promotion in various locations in the world. There are 10 centers located in Sub-Saharan Africa
(Cameroon, Côte d’Ivore, Gabon, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique,
Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zambia).
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Those centers provide business consultation services to Chinese enterprises in Africa. They also provide special funds and simplified procedures to encourage Chinese enterprises to invest in Africa.
Moreover, trade and investment ties with Africa are being strengthened through various bilateral and multilateral public-private initiatives
BOX 5.3
Private Companies Promoting China-Africa Trade and
Investment
Africaccess Consulting Company Limited is a Sino-African trade and investment consulting company based in Beijing. This company is helping
Chinese companies setup business operations in Africa. It has been collaborating with the China State Development Bank, the Cameroon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the China Center for the Promotion of International Trade. As part of its activities, the company has organized identification mission trips to Africa for Chinese businesses and also arranged for African businesses to explore business opportunities in China.
The company was created by a Cameroonian businessman, who studied at a graduate program in Beijing, in partnership with a Chinese woman. Here- alized that Chinese companies did not possess accurate information about
Africa, while many African firms also lacked sufficient knowledge on business opportunities in China. This motivated him to create this company to close this information gap.
One of the company’s initiatives includes cooperation with the Cameroon
Ministry of Post and Telecommunications on a project to setup mul-
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BETWEEN
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between China and African countries. For example, the China-Africa Business Council, a joint initiative of China with the United Nations Development Programme, aims to support China’s private sector investment in
Cameroon, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tanzania.
China also uses summits and informal meetings to reach out to African business leaders. The firms Sino-African business conference was held in
Ethiopia in December 2003. It resulted in agreements on 20 projects with a total value of $680 million. In August 2004, China held a China-Africa
Youth Festival in Beijing.
As to India-Africa bilateral information, as part of India’s Ex-Im Banks policy program, the government of India launched Focus Africa”
to boost Indian exports to the Sub-Saharan Africa region. The program seeks to reduce the uncertainty in doing business with Africa. During the timedia centers throughout the country. The company also facilitated the exports of Beijing Tianzhushengjie sunshade coverings to Botswana. In addition, the firm is working with the Cameroon Real Estate Company
(SIC) to find reliable business partners in China for low-cost housing schemes.

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