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Employment Magnets
Kenya's youth benefit from the many jobs created by Chinese companies
By Ge Lijun | VOL.11 February ·2019-02-25
The award ceremony of outstanding employees of Chinese companies in Nairobi, Kenya, on December 4, 2018 (KCETA)

Richard Gowi can hardly hide his excitement. As the Legal Manager of Huawei Kenya, he is looking forward to his third trip to China, scheduled for April 2019. Much like his two previous trips there, during which he received professional training, this third visit will be of great importance to him.

It all began with a ceremony on December 4, 2018. As part of the celebrations to mark the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kenya, the Kenya-China Economic and Trade Association (KCETA) presented 55 Kenyan employees with awards acknow­ledging their outstanding work in Chinese companies based in Kenya.

In addition to the award, these employees were also given a fully-sponsored trip to China. Together, these 55 employees from 24 counties across Kenya represent 20 Chinese companies. Gowi, who has been working in Huawei Kenya for 12 years, was one of them.

"As we celebrate the local employees in these companies, we commend them for the dedication that they have shown over the years. As we focus on growing our relations, we want to continue providing an enabling environment that will see more local employees enjoy and thrive while working within KCETA member companies," said Li Xuhang, Chargé d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Kenya at the ceremony.

Big job providers

According to Li, more than 400 Chinese companies in Kenya have created over 130,000 jobs, and 96 percent of the employees of KCETA members are locals as of December 4 last year.

"Chinese companies choose to be more localized, because Kenyan employees are diligent, ambitious and far-sighted [enough] to overcome cultural differences and [the] language barriers to make a difference," he said.

According to KCETA, many Kenyans have been working in Chinese companies and institutions for close to 20 years. In addition, many Kenyans have been able to move up the ladder within their company, becoming part of the management team.

As one of the experienced employees, Gowi talks enthusiastically about his work at Huawei Kenya.

"The working environment [at Huawei Kenya] is friendly despite our many cultural differences; we share so many values with our Chinese colleagues, even with the diversity of our cultures and beliefs," he told ChinAfrica.

Ababu Namwamba, Chief Administrative Secretary at Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, believes that these exceptional local employees are a company's most valuable assets. Indeed, they bring vitality, diversity, energy and cultural integration skills to their organizations.

"They are the ones to help their organizations achieve targets and realize developments that contribute to Kenya's modern transformation journey," he said.

Also among the laureates, Leonard Mpoke has worked for three years at Keda Ceramics as the managing director's personal assistant. He attaches great importance to this coming trip to China, which he believes will encourage him and his colleagues to be more efficient in their companies.

"I think it will also inspire greater loyalty in these employees, which will result in increased productivity. In any case, the greatest opportunity a company can offer to our young people is to provide employment. More than 200 young people from our local community are currently working in my company," Mpoke told ChinAfrica.

According to a World Bank report published in 2016, Chinese companies in Kenya each employed an average of 360 local employees, more than the average figure of other foreign companies in Kenya (147). In fact, on the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kenya on December 14, 2018, KCETA published the 2018 Chinese Enterprises in Kenya Social Responsibility Summary. The report revealed that KCETA members had created more than 50,000 jobs across the country in 2018, compared to 42,000 in 2016.

More opportunities

In October 2018, KCETA organized a major job fair in Nairobi to fill vacant positions among its member companies. On this occasion, more than 50 Chinese companies offered in excess of 1,000 jobs related to engineering, commerce, information technology, manufacturing, tourism, medical care and human resources. These job offers were intended for graduates and young people with a few years of professional experience.

"The development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Kenya and China continues to grow. The 400 companies financed by China have effectively promoted local employment, as shown by the [Mombasa-Nairobi] Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project," said Christopher Chika, Director of the Asian and Australian Affairs Directorate of the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the opening of the job fair.

According to a report published in June 2018 by the China Communications Construction Co. Ltd., the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR project recruited more than 72,000 local employees in 2018, namely 46,000 for the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR and 26,000 for the Nairobi-Malaba SGR. The latter is still under construction and will connect Kenya's capital with the Ugandan border when completed.

"We have trained graduates who understand both Chinese and modern technology, which effectively meets the needs of the Belt and Road Initiative," Isaac Mbeche, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, told the People's Daily. Currently, 16 graduate employees from the Confucius Institute of the University of Nairobi are working for the SGR project, with some being promoted as managers.

Each year, the Confucius Institute of the University of Nairobi joins forces with KCETA to organize the job fair. During the October 2018 edition, Chinese companies received more than 3,300 resumes for the 1,000 positions to be filled.

More responsibility

Also in charge of supervising his company's social responsibility program, Mpoke is tasked with ensuring that these activities are sustainable, accountable and transparent.

"The first thing I noticed in my work was how much the Chinese held the elderly in Inkiwanjani in high esteem. They greeted them, offered them gifts and asked for their blessing for our project to be completed in their community. I later learned that filial piety, namely respect for parents, elders and ancestors, is the most fundamental value of Confucianism," he told ChinAfrica.

In addition, the company has launched projects to help local people access to water, repair roads and support education by offering local scholarships.

"Locally-based Chinese companies support three essential pillars needed for the economic and social prosperity of our country. These three essential pillars are job creation, infrastructure development and the professional skills development," he added.

In fact, social responsibility is seen by Chinese companies as one of their essential tasks. In Kenya, for instance, they are actively using their business advantages to promote the country's social and economic development while achieving more social value, according to the KCETA report.

(Comments to glj@chinafrica.cn)

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