2018年CRI Africa, the next blue chip in energy

 

At the ongoing¹ 12th Photovoltaic Power Expo in Shanghai, many companies are eyeing the African continent as their next market.

Our reporter Fei Fei has more.

Zhao Wei, the Overseas Sales Manager of Shouhang Resources Saving Technology, is one of the keen watchers of the African energy market.

"Because the power sector² in many African countries is still less developed, we are very interested in the African market. Though China has a large market, for us, it is getting to the saturation³ point. So we are looking to the overseas market for our strategic development."

Beijing Africa Center CEO Tracy Qi says blackouts were part of people's daily lives when she first landed in Africa nine years ago.

"For example, when I was in South Africa, I was staying in a local family and we were cooking dinner, chopping veggies and stuff. And all of sudden, the power was off. I still remember we lit up candles and started to sing in the dark. The power was not resumed until the next day. So many African families would have diesel⁴ generators⁶ in case of such sudden blackouts."

At the same time, as many parts of the world are quickly aging, African youth makes up over half of the overall population. The population of Africa is also expected to reach 2.4 billion by 2050.

To meet the demands of such a fast-growing population, African governments are seeking the help of companies with expertise⁷ and technology, such as those from China.

Beryl Lomotey, Economic Counsellor from the Embassy of Ghana based in Beijing, says Chinese companies can provide affordable⁸ products to their people.

"Well, Ghanaians observed and they have realized that China actually produces on a large scale. And I think with economies of scale, it shows that in the end, the prices are lower as compared to the other countries. With Ghana being a developing country, our income is not very high. And so we believe that China's [products are at] the level that's our Ghanaian compatriots or Ghanaians could easily afford. "

Humphrey Geiseb, Counsellor from the Embassy of Namibia in China, says that introducing Chinese investment will benefit the society as a whole.

"Well, they [Chinese companies] can come and put up generator⁵ factories in Namibia. So we can create jobs and we can lift a number of people out of poverty as China has done lifting 400 million people out of poverty. That's a wonderful experience for all mankind that we also want to duplicate in Namibia."

However, Lomotey notes that understanding the market is the key to the success of businesses.

"They would be able to pursue some feasibility studies to know which particular products will be good for Ghana. Because Ghana somehow is different from China because we don't have winter. So we believe that some of the solar resources that are brought straight from China to Ghana may not benefit us so much because of the kind of climate or weather that we have. And so if they are to set up there, they will surely do further studies to know which one would suit us."

African countries are also preparing for the Forum⁹ on China-Africa Cooperation due to take place in September in Beijing.

For CRI, this is Fei Fei.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 saturation   

n.饱和(状态)；浸透

参考例句：

• The company's sales are now close to saturation in many western countries.这家公司的产品销售量在许多西方国家已接近饱和。
• Road traffic has reached saturation point.公路交通已达到饱和点。

4 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

5 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

6 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

8 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

9 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。