In the Huajian Shoe Factory, workers are working hard.
Photo by Zhang Youqiong, a special correspondent of Nanfang Daily
Stories of African struggle
On September 9, as the Ethiopian New Year approached, Fraser returned home early after work, and his wife served him freshly brewed coffee. In the aroma of coffee, he was content with his present and future life, and in a little while his child would be born.
Eight years ago, after graduating from university, Fraser joined the Guangdong enterprise Huajian Group to work in the local shoe factory; today, he is the head of the department managing more than 1,000 employees. Working here, Fraser earned a decent life, opened a window into China, and earned his Chinese name, "Guangzhou."
In recent years, more and more Chinese enterprises have entered Africa to invest and build factories, bringing China's capital, technology and industrialization experience to the local area, opening the door for a large number of local people to find employment. In these Chinese-funded enterprises, the growth channels of Young Africans have been opened, and the expectations and dreams of a better life are also germinating.
It took only three months from the start of construction to the start of production
In August 2011, Meles, then Prime Minister of Ethiopia, went to Shenzhen to participate in the Universiade. He has a more important purpose of this trip: to "bring" back China's suitable manufacturing enterprises and help the country's large number of unemployed people.
This proposal originated from the famous Chinese economist Lin Yifu. Over the past decade, Lin Yifu has been studying the cost and productivity of the footwear industry between China and Ethiopia, Vietnam and other countries, and he suggested that Meles turn to China's Huajian Group.
This turn, Meles saw hope. He threw a "hydrangea ball" to Zhang Huarong, chairman of Huajian Group, and invited him to Ethiopia to have a look. In September 2011, Zhang Huarong, who envisioned a "win-win" future, went to Ethiopia for an investment expedition and quickly made up his mind to "enter" the African market. In November 2011, Huajian Group successfully signed a contract with Ethiopia and officially started production in January of the following year. From the start of construction of the factory to the commissioning of production, Huajian only took 3 months to create Ethiopia's "Huajian Speed".
After the factory was completed, Huajian began to recruit workers in the local area, "Guangzhou" - Fraser was recruited to enter the Huajian Shoe Factory at that time. "In Ethiopia, graduating from university means 'unemployment.'" "Guangzhou" said that even for college students, it is not easy to find a job, and job opportunities like Huajian are even more rare.
Thousands of locals entered the Huajian Shoe Factory. Today, Huajian is Ethiopia's largest exporter, producing 5 million pairs of shoes a year for export overseas and providing jobs for 6,000 people...
"I grew up with Hua Jian." "Guangzhou" said that when he first entered the Oriental Industrial Park, Huajian was still preparing for the official production, and The Chinese master taught local employees the various processes of shoe making. On January 5, 2012, the first batch of women's shoes rolled off the production line at the factory. Seeing such a beautiful thing produced from his own hands, he was overjoyed to sleep all night.
Teach local workers shoemaking skills
"Run, hurry! fast! At about 6 o'clock on September 9, local time, the reporter saw at the door of the factory building of Huajian International Light Industry City that the employees were in groups and organized to carry out morning running exercises in an orderly manner.
"After running, I was full of energy and full of energy and put into work." "Guangzhou" said that at first, Ethiopian employees were prone to be late, and later the factory implemented the system of morning exercise, morning meeting, roll call, and queue, so that Ethiopian employees had a sense of discipline and efficiency.
When it was time to start, thousands of local employees, dressed in uniforms, took to the production line to cut, sew, pull and shape a pair of women's shoes. In the workshop where the machine roared, the reporter met Demis, an Ethiopian boy who was instructing the workers to make shoes.
Demis also has a Chinese name – "Shanghai". Eight years ago, he joined Guangzhou after graduating from Addis Ababa University in Huajian. Today, the young "Shanghai" is the director of the production department and manages 1600 employees.
"Workers in the factory can get started with every process of shoe making." "Shanghai" told reporters that it only takes about half a year of training, and workers can independently complete the complete process of making a pair of shoes.
Don't look at the current orderly workers, in the early days due to the lack of experience of workers, the shoe scrap rate is higher. To this end, Huajian has made great efforts in skills training and established a special training classroom, which is taught by experienced Chinese masters. For local employees who perform well, they are also provided with the opportunity to study at the China headquarters.
"Shanghai" and "Guangzhou" have twice been to China, to Dongguan, Ganzhou and other places for training. In the meantime, they not only systematically mastered the shoe-making process and skills, but also learned the management methods of Chinese enterprises.
Now, excellent local employees such as "Shanghai" and "Guangzhou" are entrusted with important tasks, supervising the manufacture of products, managing a large number of employees, and ensuring the smooth operation of production lines.
"The management here can't be too strict, and the local staff must be respected and taken care of." Zhang Huarong recalled that many employees were malnourished when they entered the factory, and the factory solved three meals a day for them free of charge. There are also employees living on a nearby hillside, there is no condition for bathing, the company dug a deep well to connect the water pipes, and built multiple bathing rooms.
Young people dare to chase the "African dream"
About seven or eight kilometers away from the Oriental Industrial Park, it is the home of "Shanghai": a lush courtyard, a three-bedroom house, a Chinese-style decoration, warm and comfortable.
Three years ago, "Shanghai" built this house on the savings obtained from working hard in Huajian. Soon, a daughter and a son were born, and the family was happy. "Now, I can support my family on a monthly salary and subsidize my mother." "Shanghai" said with a smile that he and his wife Mu liye graduated from the same university and met and fell in love with each other in Huajian.
In Huajian, managers like Shanghai earn the equivalent of 5,000 yuan a month, and even ordinary employees earn twice the local average. Although not every worker can grow as fast as "Shanghai" and "Guangzhou", many young people here are full of hopes for the future of life.
The new technologies brought by Chinese companies are bringing significant changes to Ethiopia: in just two years, the shoemaking technology of employees here has reached the global middle level; the country has a complete leather industry chain, and "Made in Ethiopia" shoes are sold overseas...
Hua Jian's practice has explored a feasible path for the industrialization of this African country. Now, the country is aggressively absorbing labor-intensive and export-processing enterprises, eager to become a model of "Made in Africa".
Zhang Huarong has an ambitious goal: to solve the employment of 100,000 people in the world's poorest countries. In 2015, Huajian began to build an international light industry city, which is expected to create 30,000 to 50,000 jobs when completed. Not long ago, Huajian Group signed an agreement with the Ethiopian Industrial Park Development Company to take over the operation of the Jima Industrial Park, which was built by Chinese enterprises, help the park's garment and footwear factories land, and build new coffee processing plants and other facilities, which will provide more jobs.
For Africans, working in Chinese companies is also an opportunity to learn more about and learn from China. "I think I have a special relationship with China." Deeply influenced by Chinese culture, "Shanghai" speaks from time to time with several Chinese idioms and afterwords. In his spare time, he will also hum Chinese songs and stir-fry several dishes such as braised chicken legs and mapo tofu, as if he were a "China Pass".
At the beginning of next year, "Shanghai" and "Guangzhou" will lead nearly 100 Ethiopian employees to huajian guangdong headquarters for training, and reserve talents for the new factory to be built. "There is a saying in China that only a life of struggle is happiness!" "Guangzhou" said excitedly that it hopes that the young people of Ethiopia in the future can be down-to-earth and bravely pursue and realize their "African dream".
dialogue
Huarong Zhang, Chairman of Huajian Group:
Strive to solve the employment of 100,000 people in Africa
Nanfang Daily: At that time, Huajian Group came to Ethiopia to invest and build a factory, what was the background?
Zhang Huarong: Many years ago, when we first came to Africa to invest, many people did not understand. As the first person to "eat crabs", Hua Jian also grew up in difficulties.
In August 2011, Meles, then Prime Minister of Ethiopia, visited China. At the suggestion of economist Lin Yifu, he came to Dongguan to inspect Huajian Group and invited me to invest in Ethiopia. Later, I formed a delegation with dozens of entrepreneurs, inspected Ethiopia for a week, and determined the investment intention through many communications with the Egyptian side.
Southern Daily: When I first started my business in Africa, I also experienced some difficulties, right?
Zhang Huarong: Yes, we were just throwing stones and asking for directions. In order to solve the problem of high local transportation costs and low employee efficiency, we have recruited more than 100 local Ethiopian employees to China for corporate culture and professional technical training, and directly transport related raw materials from Guangdong. In less than 90 days, the company began production and by January 2012 it had begun to take shape.
Remember that in 2015, when huajian international light industry city was just started, there was no water or electricity in the factory. At that time, I lived in the shed, I couldn't wash my face, shave my beard, dig a well with everyone, and stayed for 40 days at the longest.
Nanfang Daily: In the future, what is Huajian Group's plan in the layout of the African market?
Zhang Huarong: Recently, Huajian Group is laying out the construction of Jima Industrial Park, planning to focus on garment, wood processing, drinking water, coffee and other industries, combining domestic demand and export sales.
Africa has abundant labor resources, a stable political environment and a government of integrity, and China's supply-side structural reform and high-quality development coincide with the development of countries and regions along the "Belt and Road". I hope that by 2030, Huajian Group can solve the employment of 100,000 people in Africa and share the fruits of development with the local government.
Notes
Central African employees "unity is strength"
At about 7:30 a.m. on September 9, nearly 2,000 Ethiopian workers dressed in light green uniforms ran and assembled to prepare for the regular morning meeting in Huajian.
"Standing upright! At ease! Ready, sing! As the password was given, a neat and loud song sounded and reverberated over the factory.
"Unity is strength... This power is iron, this power is steel, harder than iron is stronger than steel..." Who would have thought that this song, which is familiar in China, could be sung on the East African plateau thousands of miles away.
Music knows no borders. Songs convey not only emotion and melody, but also culture and identity.
In Huajian, we saw factories with clean windows and uniform assembly lines; we heard Ethiopian employees learning Chinese, and Chinese employees learning local Amharic. We feel the happiness and satisfaction of our employees from the smiles on their faces.
Today, in Ethiopia, in many other countries in Africa, Chinese can be seen everywhere: opening restaurants, setting up businesses, education and training, medical assistance... They send advanced knowledge, technology and ideas there to help Africa's economic and social development and people's living standards improve.
The song is sung with chants, and the music is lyrical. Here, we deeply feel that riding on the giant ship of the "community of human destiny", the Chinese and African peoples respect each other, cooperate and win-win results, and are sailing to a new world of common prosperity.
Nanfang Ribao special correspondent Wu Ke, Huang Jinhui, and Wang Cong sent from Ethiopia