Kama (right), a surveyor from Togo, and his Chinese master, Li Jian, work at the construction site of a northern highway project in Odiene province in northwestern Côte d'Ivoire on April 13. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zheng Yangzi
Abidjan, 29 April (Xinhua) -- The mentor-apprentice friendship between Chinese surveyors and African guys -- remembering the builders of the highway project in northern Côte d'Ivoire
Xinhua News Agency reporter Zheng Yangzi
The province of Odiene in the northwest of Côte d'Ivoire, which borders Mali and Guinea, is where China Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd. (China Harbor) has undertaken the Northern Highway Project. In the dry season, the sun is scorching and dusty are flying, and amid the roar of construction machinery, Kama, a young man from Togo, an African country, and his Chinese master Li Jian carry measuring equipment, one after the other, unhurriedly walking on the newly compacted roadbed.
Coming to the measuring point, Li Jian turned his head and shouted in the "jargon" mixed with several languages: "Kama, you go and see the elevation here, it must be the same as before, tell me later", mixed sentences in Chinese, English, and French are the main communication methods between master and apprentice. Kama immediately agreed, put down the tripod, pulled out the GPS, and the two began their day's measurement work.
The Northern Ivory Coast Highway Project, which is about 230 kilometers long, was built by China Harbor, with CCCC First Aviation Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd. (CCCC First Aviation Bureau) responsible for the construction of the third tender section of the project. When completed, the Northern Highway will serve as the country's transport artery connecting Mali and Guinea and will be an important part of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) road network.
Kama, a surveyor from Togo, works at the construction site of the Northern Highway Project in Odiene province in north-western Côte d'Ivoire on 13 April. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zheng Yangzi
Kama has been working for CCCC No. 1 for nearly three years, and he and Li Jianxian, the survey team leader, worked on the Abidjan port yard project in China Harbor, and earlier this year, the two came to the Northern Highway Project to become surveyors here. In Kama's words, "Where Master goes, I go."
"Li Jian is a very good teacher," Kama told reporters while waving his hand to direct his colleague who was inserting piles, "I was trained in topographic surveying in Lomé [the capital of Togo], but field operation is a completely different matter, Master helped me, I have mastered more basic knowledge, and I learn his experience every day." ”
Engineering surveying is complex but indispensable. Before further construction, each road section must go through strict procedures such as counting points, calculating coordinates, and putting line acceptance, coupled with high engineering standards and large undulations in the terrain of some road sections, the measurement work needs to be more meticulous, otherwise it may be "lost and wrong".
Kama (first from right), a surveyor from Togo, works at the construction site of the Northern Highway Project in Odiene province, north-west Côte d'Ivoire, on April 13. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zheng Yangzi
"Kama is smart. When he came to the interview, I could see that he had a good measurement base. Li Jian told reporters, "Over the past few years, we have had a special tacit understanding, I don't speak foreign languages very well, but I don't need to say too much when working together, and he can quickly understand what I mean." ”
In the past three years, Kama has studied hard beside Li Jian and gradually grown from a half-apprentice to a qualified surveyor. Now, Kama also has a small team of three or four people who can independently lead the survey. Kama also spends his spare time learning software to draw and hopes to take on more work in the future.
"The Northern Kamalai Highway Project was ahead of me, more familiar with the process, and we learned from each other." Li Jian said.
"I worked in other companies before I came here, but I like it better." "It provides more job opportunities and room for advancement for foreign employees, and we are respected here and receive a lot of professional skills training, which is very beneficial to career planning." ”
This is the construction site of the Northern Highway Project taken on January 12 in the province of Odiene in the northwest of Côte d'Ivoire (drone photo). Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of China Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd.)
According to Li Yangchun, project manager of the Northern Highway, since the start of construction in March 2020, the project has reached 1,700 people at the peak construction period, providing more than 1,500 jobs for the surrounding local communities, and more than 100 foreign managers like Kama. During the implementation of the project, the company purchased local cement, diesel, steel and other materials, leased local equipment, and indirectly created more than 2,000 jobs.
"Kama is a great tester that we have developed on our own projects." Yin Zhiliang, Kama's work area director, said, "Now he can solve the problems encountered in the measurement work independently, not only efficiently, but also meticulously, and also pay attention to equipment maintenance." ”
"Two months ago, I returned to China for the Chinese New Year, and Kama did not forget to send a message of greetings." Li Jian took out his mobile phone and showed the reporter the chat records of the two, "It is a rare fate to meet him in Africa." ”