PROSPER AMOUSSOU
Director of the Benin Center for asia-Africa Silk Road, Director of the Benin Center of Asia Africa Silk Road
Founder of Lepacha International Trade Co., Ltd. Manager of LEPACHA Beijing International Trade Co.,Ltd.
Q1. So Prosper, I know you've been in China for a long time, so do you like China? What was your first impression of China? What would you say about China now?
For me, a 10-year-old who had just come out of the cinema at the time, my first impression of China was that the city was full of bicycles and fascinating Chinese kung fu. But when I actually came to China, I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw: China is such a beautiful country, with a well-developed modern infrastructure and a deep cultural heritage. After I came to China, I received countless Chinese kindness and enthusiasm, which not only promoted my integration, but also ignited my enthusiasm for learning Chinese. Over time, I found that I was fascinated by the traditional festivals of China, as these festivals are not only a great opportunity to celebrate and relax, but also a great time to enjoy and learn about Chinese culture. In addition, China's achievements in the field of mobile payment (Alipay, WeChat Pay) are impressive, and their power has made China ahead of the world in mobile payment, making the lives of Chinese people more comfortable.
Q2. That sounds like a lot of fun! We also want to hear more stories! Then please tell us about one of your most memorable experiences in China!
China's strongest way to control covid-19: health codes, free nucleic acid testing, strict management of every community... Everything perfectly protects the people and avoids the spread of the new crown virus. Unfortunately, one day when I was visiting my friend, I quarantined at his house for a few weeks because a new COVID-19 case had just emerged in the district. However, it was this unforgettable experience that gave me the opportunity to try my hand at online business activities and amaze me at how advanced China's network economy and smart technology have become! 2 businessmen, although thousands of miles apart, can use China's modern technology and network to successfully and effectively carry out business. At the moment of the epidemic, although the real economy has been hit, the online economy has become more prosperous in China than ever before. At this rate, I have no doubt that the Web3 era and the implementation of the metaverse will come anytime soon.
Q3. So on behalf of our fans, what are you doing now? What have you been working on? How did you get on this path? How did the opportunity come to you?
My father was my role model, so I wanted to be like him and become a businessman. However, my father didn't agree at first, and he demanded that we have to finish high school before pursuing our dreams. He worked hard to provide the family with everything he needed, so that I never envied anyone else and never had any regrets in my childhood. So, in order to make him proud of me, I decided to fulfill his wish first; And now, I want to follow my dream and do what I love – business. China is currently considered the world's largest manufacturer, so doing business in China is a great opportunity to achieve my goals. The rapid growth rate of China's economy as a world, the great achievements it has made in the ever-changing global economy, the sincerity of its friendly proposals such as establishing a community of common destiny with Africa, and the preferential policies and smooth passages it provides to African entrepreneurs have made me further convinced that China is the best choice and best partner for Africa's development. Then the Asian-African Silk Road and I found each other and started working with each other, and now we see every day as an exciting, shared journey.
Ambassador of the Embassy of Benin in Beijing
Q4. You mentioned this Asian-African Silk Road, can you introduce us to them? How did you work with them? What opportunities do they offer to all African entrepreneurs?
Inspired by the Belt and Road Initiative and the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, I suddenly became interested in cooperation between China and Africa. I spent a lot of time on Baidu reading and learning about all the projects related to this initiative. Then one day, I saw an article on the Asian-African Silk Road, which involved exchanges and cooperation between African countries along the "Belt and Road" Initiative in the fields of economy, trade, culture, tourism, investment industry development and business planning activities. I was impressed by the commercial layout mentioned in the article and the African National Pavilion under construction. I immediately felt very interested and my intuition told me that I should talk to them immediately and that I could achieve my business ambitions with their help. So I contacted Asia-Africa Silk Road International Business Co., Ltd., and later through communication we immediately hit it off. We talked a lot about the scope of international trade and were surprised to find that we share the same values and visions as each other. I think this may be the starting point of my dreams, the place where everything begins.
Q5. What advice would you give to African entrepreneurs who share your dreams?
I want them to know that each of them has a lot of potential, and I know that everything is difficult at the beginning, but everything is difficult before it is easy. My advice is that you can talk to the Asian-African Silk Road and see if you can find the answer from them. They have African and Chinese project resources, enthusiastic and active investors, feature products and broad business relationships. You are in time for the best of times because they are launching a project called "Chief Referrer + African Pavilion", and they are looking for African intellectuals, entrepreneurs, students, and anyone with talent and ambition to become the Chief Referral Officer of the African Pavilion. These CHIEF Referral Officers will benefit greatly: for example, if the Chief Recommendation Officer wants to implant his own product in the National Pavilion, they will be fully trusted. If the CFO wants to set up their own company in China, Afro-Asia Silk Road will provide them with services such as helping to register a company, answering relevant questions, and recommending quality visa agencies. At the same time, the Asian-African Silk Road will also give them a lot of attention and exposure, invite them to participate in the event, and promote and promote it on the official WeChat account of the Asian-African Silk Road to ensure that their names and their companies are remembered by more and more Chinese. The Asian-African Silk Road may be your starting point for glory, and it may be the ferryman who will lead you to success. I know they are like this to me!