"The secession in July 2011 meant that we began from zero. The huge public demand for services meant that we go for an around-the-clock working system. It is paying off," said South Sudan Information Minister Dr. Barnaba Mariel Benjamin.

Chasing promising opportunities, foreigners are flocking to Juba, capital of South Sudan. A large number of these migrants are from neighboring nations such as Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Sudan. They are looking for jobs in mining and construction, both of which are mainly controlled by Chinese firms.

"The number of foreigners in this country is alarming. They have been competing with the indigenous people for opportunities. It would have been tougher were it not for the dusk to dawn shifts," said John Dieng, an accountant in Abyei. He said foreigners are more willing to work at night than native South Sudanese.

Jobs and challenges

Experts say the shift to a 24-hour economy has helped create more jobs for Africa's growing population. It is also likely to help reduce tension between the Chinese and locals.

"When they first entered into the continent, the Chinese came with their own employees. This is because Africans had not yet been initiated into such a system. It never augured well with the locals. Tension rose and, at times, Chinese workers were attacked," says Professor Wycliffe Wanyama of Makerere University.

But things are changing and it is perhaps in Central Africa where the impact of the 24-hour economy has been felt the most. China Road & Bridge Corp., Top International Engineering Co. and Henan International Cooperation Group have created a massive number of jobs for locals.

Besides employing thousands of locals, these industries have produced a ripple effect that has been felt in other sectors of the Rwandan and Angolan economies. Kenyan-owned businesses, such as the Kenya Commercial Bank, Equity Bank, Nakumatt Supermarkets and Uchumi Supermarkets, are setting up subsidiaries in Rwanda in a bid to serve the rapidly-expanding nocturnal population.

"Businesses are booming. The Chinese have to fuel their machines. They have to eat. They have to have access to their funds at all times. More importantly, they need security," said Luanda resident Dr. Azekell Kassoma.

Kassoma said the Chinese have perfected the culture of a 24/7 lifestyle to deal with the effects of unpredictable weather, and also to be able to meet tight contract deadlines and the huge demand for Chinese services.

However, the spread of the 24-hour economy outside of Africa's major cities faces a major hurdle: insecurity.

In Angola, for instance, the Chinese have showed their willingness to build more modern roads outside the capital city of Luanda. But Chinese investors are concerned about insecurity in oil-rich Cabinda, one of Angola's major provinces, which is chiefly dominated by The Front for the Liberation of the State of Cabinda.

"We have seen Chinese workers attacked. Others maimed and, at times, killed. This continues to be a headache as we struggle to implement a 24-hour economy in this country," said Kassoma.

The resurgence of militant groups in Africa, such as Somali Al Shabaab, is likely to further hamper the continued spread of the 24-hour economy model across the continent. But where it is taking hold, the sun never sets for Chinese workers and the African businesses that support them.

(Reporting from Kenya)