Briefs

LATEST NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF BUSINESS

Photo taken on 21 October shows the view of the new Dr.Antonio Agostinho Neto International Airport in Luanda, Angola

ANGOLA New International Airport Launched

Angolan President Joao Lourenco officially opened the new Dr.Antonio Agostinho Neto International Airport at an opening ceremony here on 10 November, launching the airport’s cargo operations.

Lourenco expressed his gratitude for all the project’s builders, including the Chinese contractor, China National Aerotechnology International Engineering Corp.

“We have just inaugurated and put into service this important infrastructure for the nation and the continent, which will not only serve Angola but also serve as a crucial hub for airport transportation in Africa and the world,” he said.

Dr.Antonio Agostinho Neto International Airport, named after the country’s first president, is 40 km southeast of Luanda, with a designed capacity of 15 million passengers per year and a 130,000-tonne cargo capacity.

CHINA Economy on Course to Realise 2023 Growth Goals

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on 15 November showed that retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of consumption strength,grew 7.6 percent year on year in October,marking its fastest pace since May and quickening from a rise of 5.5 percent registered in September.

Industrial production also beat market expectations, rising 4.6 percent year on year in October, accelerating from the 4.5 percent growth pace seen in September.This also marked the strongest growth since April.

Employment remained generally stable, with the surveyed urban unemployment rate at 5 percent in October,unchanged from that in September,according to the NBS.

Judging from major economic indicators, NBS spokesperson Liu Aihua said the country’s economy has maintained a sustained momentum of recovery in October, and laid a solid foundation for the country to achieve the full-year growth targets.China set its GDP growth target at around 5 percent for 2023.

ZIMBABWE Chinese Companies Hold Job Fair

A two-day job fair kicked offin Harare,the capital of Zimbabwe, on 3 November,with over 50 Chinese enterprises offering more than 1,000 jobs to Zimbabwean youth.

Hundreds of job seekers attended the Zimbabwe-Chinese Enterprises Job Fair,which was organised by the Chamber of Chinese Enterprises in Zimbabwe(CCEZ) in collaboration with the China-Zimbabwe Exchange Centre and the Victory Milestone Recruitment Agency.

“This year, we have over 50 Chinese companies participating in this job fair,offering over 1,000 jobs across various industries and sectors including mining,agriculture, construction, ICT,logistics, machinery and equipment supplies,” CCEZ Vice Chairperson Liu Baixue said in her address at the opening ceremony of the fair.

According to the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency, China has become Zimbabwe’s largest foreign investor, with notable investments being recorded in mining and minerals processing, construction and manufacturing sectors.

MOROCCO Africa Investment Forum 2023 Held

The 2023 Market Days Event of the Africa Investment Forum(AIF) kicked offon 8 November in Marrakech, Morocco.

Held under the theme of“Unlocking Africa’s Value Chains,” the forum’s opening session was marked by an address by Moroccan King Mohammed VI.

In his address, the king said the African continent is “facing complex economic challenges exacerbated by geopolitical tensions beyond African borders,”adding that climate change, rising interest rates, and a persistent inflationary spiral have all posed challenges to the African economy.

Stressing that Morocco has been calling for enhanced inter-African coordination and cooperation mechanisms with a view to achieving regional economic integration, he also urged African countries to set the development of infrastructure a top priority.

The three-day event aims to foster vital partnerships to provide investors with opportunities in an era of transformation for the continent.

Since launched in 2018, the AIF has mobilised nearly $143 billion in investment interest.

EGYPT Transport Expo Attracts Chinese Firms

The fifth Smart Transport,Logistics, Infrastructure, and Traffic Fair and Forum for the Middle East and Africa was held in New Cairo from 5 to 8 November.

At the event, nearly 350 exhibitors from 20 countries displayed their technologies, solutions and products, covering the fields of railway, metro, monorail, electric transport, roads and bridges,traffic safety, maritime transport,seaports and logistics, as well as information and communications in these regards.

The exhibition has witnessed enthusiastic participation from Chinese companies eager to take part in the transport development in the Middle East.

DRC PM Inaugurates Huawei-Built Data Centre

Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Sama Lukonde Kyenge on 2 November inaugurated a data centre at the Ministry of Finance,a project built by the Chinese tech giant Huawei.

Before cutting the ribbon for the data centre, the first of its kind in the country, the Congolese prime minister in his remarks praised this project by saying that it demonstrates cooperation between the DRC and China, as the data centre will play an important role in the DRC’s social progress.

DRC Prime Minister Sama Lukonde Kyenge (centre) cuts a ribbon to inaugurate a data centre in Kinshasa, the DRC, on 2 November

Zhao Bin, Chinese ambassador to the DRC, described the centre as “a major achievement of China-DRC cooperation” in the field of digital information.

According to Zhao, the centre will allow the DRC to accelerate its integration into the global information and communications technology industry, and finally breathe new impetus into its economic transformation and development.

The data centre, financed by the Export-Import Bank of China, would allow the Congolese authorities to centralise, merge, secure and store information on financial management activities, which would further contribute to national innovation and economic growth.