Journey to the Sea: Entering Africa | "Cloud Silk Road" Connecting China Africa Cooperation | Platform | Africa

China will work together with African countries to expand cooperation in the "Silk Road e-commerce" initiative, hold the African Good Goods Online Shopping Festival and tourism e-commerce promotion activities, and implement the "One Hundred Stores, One Thousand Products, One Platform" initiative in Africa.

-- On November 29, 2021, Xi Jinping pointed out in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation

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In 2014, Hunan young man Yang Tao founded the cross-border e-commerce platform Kilimall in Kenya, which was the first e-commerce enterprise established by Chinese people on the African continent.

Tie up the "cloud link" connecting mountains and seas, build a new bridge of communication and cooperation between China and Africa, and inject new impetus into the "Digital Silk Road" through cross-border e-commerce. China and Africa join hands, share new opportunities, jointly innovate the future, and stride towards the "starry sea" of the digital economy.

Hunan Daily All Media Reporter Peng Kexin

In April, Kenya is in the rainy season with a pleasant climate.

The snow peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro are clearly visible, with warm sunlight on the equatorial line and a dazzling white snow crown. Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, is bustling with pedestrians and the city is thriving.

At around 9:00 on the 21st, Kilimall courier Joram Musiyoka was carrying more than 10 packages and riding a motorcycle through the bustling city of Mombasa Road.

"I placed an order yesterday and received the goods today. The delivery speed is very fast!" 30 minutes later, David, who lives in the suburbs of Nairobi, received the package delivered by Joram Musiyoka and happily gave a thumbs up.

After operating in Africa for over 9 years, Kilimall has now become the largest e-commerce platform in East Africa, with a user base of tens of millions.

Crossing mountains and seas, pursuing a win-win path. A Chinese and African enterprise continued to expand the market along the "the Belt and Road" through Kilimall and other e-commerce platforms. Chinese goods and African goods staged a "two-way rush" through the "Cloud Silk Road", witnessing the beautiful prospect of China Africa practical cooperation and joint progress.

On April 22nd, reporters walked on the streets of Nairobi, with chocolate colored faces blooming with smiles, English and Swahili intertwined in their ears, and fashionable young men and women walking in a hurry.

"How about Africa being different from what you imagine?" Yang Tao, founder and CEO of Kilimall e-commerce platform, smiled and told reporters.

In 2012, Yang Tao, a young man from Hunan, was dispatched by a Chinese company to Kenya to establish a mobile wallet payment system for the local area.

After working in Africa for over a year, he discovered potential business opportunities on African e-commerce platforms. "There are many young people in Nairobi who pursue fashion, but there are not many products to choose from in physical stores, and online shopping has not yet become popular." Yang Tao believes that being an e-commerce platform should have a show!

In 2014, Kilimall was established in a two-story small building in downtown Nairobi.

On the first floor office, only 6 people took on multiple roles such as planning, marketing, and customer service; The second floor is a bedroom and warehouse. "At that time, I was sleeping in the middle of a pile of goods and couldn't even stretch my legs," Yang Tao recalled.

To start an e-commerce platform, the first step is to establish its reputation.

Africans have a heart that loves music and dance. So, Kilimall organized a "King of Dance" event on social media to attract locals to shoot dance videos and upload them. This move quickly took effect, and Kilimall's name gradually spread.

Expanding the market is not easy either. Kilimall has been online for over a month and finally received its first order - a local customer purchased a waterproof Bluetooth speaker.

Yang Taole is broken and personally delivered the goods to his doorstep. "At that time, the customer was surprised and said, 'You guys are not scammers.'"

Online shopping was not as popular as it is now, and the mutual trust between buyers and sellers was not high. In the eyes of local residents, clicking the mouse at home and someone delivering the selected product at such a reasonable price, how could such a good thing happen?

"In Africa, trust is a very valuable 'commodity'," Yang Tao said. "Hunan people are impatient when it comes to doing things." Orders are completed step by step, and trust accumulates bit by bit. ".

On April 20th, in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, Yang Tao, founder and CEO of Kilimall e-commerce platform, provided employee training. All the photos in this edition are reported by Gu Pengbo and Wang Jue, a full media reporter of Hunan Daily

In order to quickly deliver goods to local consumers, Kilimall has built its own logistics system, which can achieve the fastest delivery of goods on the same day. The independently developed online payment system supports multi-channel transactions in multiple currencies; Establish 1500 African version "Cainiao Station" - Kilishop to solve the problem of lack of standard house numbers, high difficulty and low efficiency in delivering goods to the door in the vast majority of Africa.

At around 3pm, the reporter saw residents picking up packages coming and going outside a Kilishop, which is about 15 square meters, in Makakos County, Nairobi. Store owner Cynthia Acheng Orucci was busy organizing packages while delivering the package out of the warehouse.

"I have been working here for 2 years, and over 200 parcels are shipped out of the store every day," Cynthia Acheng Orucci told reporters. After experiencing the convenience and speed of Kirishop, she smelled the business opportunity and joined Kirimall with three friends, owning her own Kirishop community store.

On April 20th, in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, Kilimall delivery guy rode a motorcycle to deliver goods.

Courier Joram Musiyoka delivers a large truck of packages almost every day to Kilishop of Cynthia Acheng Orucci. "Nairobi users place orders before 11am and receive them on the same day; orders after 11am and receive them the next day. Our express delivery speed is the fastest among all e-commerce companies in Africa."

The trust "door" of e-commerce has been opened by Kilimall, followed closely by Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba International Station, Jiku, and Xiyin, entering markets in Kenya and other African countries.

The e-commerce market in Kenya has been thriving after years of "fuel and salary increases" by Chinese companies.

At around 8:00 am on April 23rd, local employees dressed in Kilimall uniforms walked in groups of three or five towards the company in the Mlorongo Asi Business Park in Macacos County, Nairobi.

"Come on, take you around." Kilimall's Deputy Logistics Manager in Kenya, Yvonne Wangila Mana, waved to the reporter with a smile, revealing her pure white teeth.

The overseas warehouse of over 10000 square meters is the busiest place in Kilimall. Looking around, the vast warehouse is well-organized, with employees sorting goods, printing orders, packaging and leaving the warehouse, each performing their own duties. Here, Chinese sellers who have joined the platform can prepare goods in advance to Africa, store them in warehouses, and ship faster.

On April 22nd, Kilimall established an overseas warehouse of over 10000 square meters in the Mlorongoasi Commercial Park in Makakos County, Nairobi, Kenya.

Shoes and hair products produced in Shaoyang, kitchen appliances produced in Changsha... In Kilimall's overseas warehouse in Kenya, the reporter saw many products from Hunan.

Yvonne Vangira Mana picked up a pair of Hunan made sneakers and told Kilimall that Godahia Wende Engai, a sorting officer at the Kenyan overseas warehouse, was proudly shaking her long braid on her head while storing the newly arrived Hunan Shaoyang made sneakers. She said to the reporter, "Beautiful and of good quality, I am a loyal 'fan'.".

On April 23rd, local employees packaged and shipped goods from Kilimall's overseas warehouse.

Thanks to the rapid development of e-commerce business in Hunan and Africa, Shaoyang City exported 1.39 billion yuan of hair products to Africa from January to May this year, accounting for 73.9% of the city's hair product exports during the same period.

"We have established contact with Shaoyang, and in the future, more hair products will continue to enter the African market," said Yvonne Wanjila Mana with full confidence.

Now, there are over 1 million products to choose from on the Kilimall e-commerce platform, with warehouses storing over 30000 products. During peak periods, over 100000 items are shipped from here every day to customers.

This year, Yang Tao plans to expand Kilishop to 5000, establish new overseas warehouses in Tanzania and Uganda, and open cross-border e-commerce services in 5 to 10 African countries.

The "Cloud Silk Road" is convenient and smooth, and Hunan's goods and African goods have achieved a two-way flow.

The shopping carts of African youth are often filled with various Hunan specialty products; Roses from Kenya can be transported to Changsha in as little as 14 hours

The China Africa Live E-commerce Incubation Center located in Gaoqiao Market, Hunan Province, is popular for African specialties such as black tea from Kenya, coffee from Ethiopia, chili sauce from Rwanda, and cashews from Tanzania. Through e-commerce platforms and live streamers, it is often sold out by consumers shortly after its launch.

Taking the hosting of the China Africa Economic and Trade Expo and the construction of a pilot zone for deep economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa as opportunities, Hunan's trade relations with Africa have become increasingly close.

Through online and offline efforts, Hunan's trade with Africa has achieved new growth. In 2022, the trade volume between Hunan and Africa reached 55.66 billion yuan, ranking eighth in the country and first in the central region. In the first five months of this year, the trade volume between Hunan and Africa reached 27.01 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 54.5%.

On April 24th, near noon, Kilimall's overseas warehouse remained hot, with over 10 employees carrying hundreds of Vitron smart televisions into storage. These televisions have just been assembled and taken off the production line from Vitron's workshop 10 kilometers away.

In 2004, Chinese company Vitron ventured into Africa, mainly producing and selling home appliances such as smart TVs and refrigerators in Kenya. After years of cultivation, the offline physical store business has always been good, but its popularity has never been high.

In 2016, Kilimall threw an olive branch at Vitron. One wants to find high-quality suppliers, and the other wants to increase brand awareness, and both parties hit it off immediately.

"Kilimall is particularly awesome in marketing promotion." Li Zichen, the relevant person in charge of Vitron, praised that "social media promotion is never interrupted, and the homepage recommendation of the website is always updated, which is much more useful than the previous banners and billboards."

Having only been with Kilimall for 7 years, Vitron's brand awareness has significantly increased, and online sales have steadily increased.

"I hope to sell our products across the African continent through e-commerce platforms." Li Zichen had new expectations.

Cross border e-commerce platforms have opened up the African market for Chinese enterprises and provided a stage for the entrepreneurial dreams of African youth.

On April 23rd, a fully loaded truck unloaded its cargo at Kilimall's overseas warehouse in the Mlorongoasi Commercial Park in Makakos County, Nairobi, Kenya.

Silas Musiyoka, an African born in the 1990s, is currently the Manager of Local Seller Growth at Kilimall in Kenya. Previously, he worked at Kilimall's Changsha headquarters.

"I miss the chili fried meat in Changsha very much," said Silas Musiyoka in Chinese from time to time while talking to reporters.

After working in Changsha for 3 years, Silas Musiyoka almost marvels at the convenience brought by e-commerce every day. "I want to teach African young people who want to start their own businesses on e-commerce platforms what I have seen and learned in Hunan."

Hausville Macaria is one of Silas' students.

Three years ago, Housewell Macaria, who worked at a bank, resigned from his stable job and opened a physical small store, but his business did not meet expectations.

Seizing the opportunity of rapid development of e-commerce in Africa, Hoswell Macaria has now switched careers and opened an online small store on Kilimall, specializing in electronic products. Silas Musiyoka regularly provides online training and guidance services to Hausville Macaria, helping him analyze basic data and supporting the planning of store promotional activities.

"I used to be an 'e-commerce novice', but now I am an 'e-commerce expert'. Now, the online small store of Hausville Macaria is doing well, with a monthly turnover of up to 2 million shillings.".

"At Kilimall, nearly 3000 young African entrepreneurs have opened their own small shops." Yang Tao introduced that currently, Kilimall has over 300 employees, with foreign employees accounting for more than 70%, creating nearly 20000 job opportunities for China and local Africa.

Entering a new era, China Africa economic and trade cooperation has entered the fast lane, bringing greater business opportunities to Chinese and African enterprises. "Our goal is to empower 1 million Chinese and African entrepreneurs and serve 1 billion Chinese and African consumers," Yang Tao is ambitious.

China and Africa are playing interactive music on the "Cloud Silk Road", with a long and lasting echo.

Journalist's Notes

The brilliant present and vast future

Peng Kexin

After flying for 12 hours, we finally arrived in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. "Africa is so far away from us!" The reporter sighed during the long flight.

In Nairobi, local residents place orders with just one click and quickly receive Chinese goods delivered by a courier. It seems that Africa is not that far away. Landing in Africa, the journalist has a completely new feeling.

The Internet economy is in full swing. In Nairobi, you can use a mobile phone to "go global", social networking, entertainment, shopping, and payment are easy; In China, consumers stay at home and can send good African goods to their homes with just a flick of their fingers. The digital economy, once a castle in the air, is now truly visible, tangible, and tangible in Africa.

On April 21st, David, who lives in the suburbs of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, received a product delivered by a Kilimall courier.

Cross border e-commerce has opened up new channels for economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa, as well as a "borderless" global market, with multiple clicks, orders, and packages. Featured products from all over the world have a stage for display and trading, making trade more convenient and cultural exchanges more colorful.

During an interview in Kenya, the residents of Nairobi who went to Kilishop to pick up their packages had a smile on their faces. Even though they were full of items, they did not forget to "compare" with the reporter and said "Nice" brilliantly; African girl Godahia counted the Hunan products she had purchased for the reporter in detail. As she bid farewell, she reluctantly held the reporter's hand and said, "I want to go to Hunan to have a look.".

The distance between the hearts of the Chinese and African people has become closer. We are friends and partners, with a brilliant present and a broader future. The global digital economy is in turmoil, and we will work together to ride the waves, seize opportunities, and face challenges together.

African voices>>

Vice President of Kenya, Rigati Ghachagua:

On the basis of sincere friendship, Kenya and China need to continue to increase cooperation. We hope to export more high-quality Kenyan agricultural products such as coffee, tea, avocado, beef, etc. to China through good bilateral relations between Africa and China.

Elizabeth Njoric, a digital marketing expert at Itel Kenya:

Thank you very much to Kilimall for our good cooperation. Kilimall has received praise from countless African consumers in terms of quality, price, and service, and has also created opportunities for countless African entrepreneurs. I hope we can have better cooperation in the future to jointly support the development of Africa's digital economy.

Talibe Hedera, Deputy Editor in Chief of the Gambian Flag newspaper:

The economic and trade cooperation between Africa and China is becoming increasingly close, and the scale of trade is steadily increasing. For African countries, being able to introduce our specialties to Chinese consumers through cross-border e-commerce platforms is a huge opportunity and will also become a focus of trade cooperation between Africa and Hunan.

The sound of "going out to sea">

Wu Zhuohui, Vice President of Anke Innovation:

There are fewer and fewer cross-border e-commerce businesses that rely on simple and single elements to achieve success, and a new era of brand "going global" under composite elements, systematic competition, and enterprise collaboration has arrived. What is the core "winning point" of the brand's "going global"? I think there are three aspects: more precise product positioning and research and innovation capabilities, more down-to-earth product marketing, and a more intelligent operational system.

Wang Wen, Deputy Director of E-commerce Department of Hunan Provincial Department of Commerce:

Cross border e-commerce, as a new form and model of foreign trade, plays an increasingly prominent role in promoting international trade facilitation and accelerating the reconstruction of global supply chains, trade chains, and value chains. It has become a new driving force for foreign trade growth and an important trend in international trade development under the new normal, and a new engine for promoting the construction of a trading power.

Wang Donghua, Deputy Director of Changsha Municipal Bureau of Commerce:

Changsha will accelerate the cultivation of business entities, improve platform construction, speed up customs logistics, optimize regulatory services, and build a talent team. It will create three centers, including industrial agglomeration, live streaming operations, and brand "going global", to seize the opportunity for digital transformation, assist domestic and international circulation, and achieve the improvement of quality and efficiency in cross-border e-commerce development.

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Hunan Africa trade is advancing rapidly

1200 years ago, the pottery produced by Changsha Kiln boarded the Black Stone merchant ship heading to North Africa, but failed to arrive as scheduled. Nowadays, through various trade methods, African dried chili peppers are listed in Hunan community supermarkets, and Hunan small agricultural machinery cultivates the land of Africa

At present, Hunan has trade relations with 58 countries and regions in Africa. In the first five months of this year, Hunan's imports and exports to Africa amounted to 27.01 billion yuan, an increase of 54.5% compared to the same period last year.

Relying on two major national level cooperation platforms with Africa - the China Africa Economic and Trade Expo and the China Africa Economic and Trade Deep Cooperation Pilot Zone, Hunan is making every effort to create a new model of foreign trade in inland areas.

The China Africa Economic and Trade Expo has been successfully held twice in Changsha, with a total of 216 signed projects and a total amount of 43.02 billion US dollars. Thousands of African exhibits such as red wine, coffee, cocoa, gemstones, etc. were showcased at the expo.

Want to drink authentic African coffee? Check in to the coffee street at Hunan Gaoqiao Market. In 2022, Hunan Gaoqiao Market imported coffee beans from Africa for 10 million US dollars, and it is expected to grow to 20 million US dollars this year.

Hunan continuously unlocks new models of trade with Africa.

In the China Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Innovation Demonstration Park in Changsha, a dazzling array of exhibits and specialty products from various African countries attract visitors to stop. There are 37 African country pavilions and other exhibition halls here, aiming to create an "never ending" China Africa Economic and Trade Expo. The China Africa E-commerce Live Incubation Center, located in the same building as the exhibition hall and with a 12000 square meter live streaming base, is responsible for uninterrupted live streaming sales on various social platforms and recommending good African products. Some African friends often appear in live streaming rooms to take netizens on a "cloud tour" of the production process of African products.

We will launch a pilot project for the integration of market procurement and trade with national customs clearance, significantly reducing export costs for enterprises, helping 135 Hunan enterprises invest in Africa, and driving the export of Hunan products.

Promote the standardization and standardization of inspection and quarantine for key products and enterprises in Africa, solve the problem of access to African agricultural products, and continue to visit Hunan with Kenya's dried fish bladder and Tanzania's soybeans, cloves, dried cashews, sesame, and other products.

Build a cross-border RMB center between China and Africa, open up 6 African currency corporate spot foreign exchange settlement and sales services, and carry out cross-border RMB settlement with 22 African countries.

The "going out" channel is becoming increasingly smooth, and Hunan has built a three-dimensional international logistics channel for Africa.

The first phase of the Hunan Guangdong non rail sea intermodal transportation channel can reach 11 hub seaports in Africa, as well as 20 roads and railways to the inland of Africa.

After the opening of the first direct passenger route from Changsha to Nairobi to Africa in 2019, Hunan will open its first cargo route from Changsha to Addis Ababa to Africa in 2022. As of now, the "Changsha Addis Ababa" freight route has flown 100 times, with a total shipment of 9372.7 tons of goods.