Chinese Firms in Ethiopia: Shoe-maker creates jobs for locals

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Chinese private firms are setting up industrial parks in Ethiopia. Chinese experience is helping to create jobs in the African country and inject dynamism.

It's the weekly morning meeting at Hua Jian Shoe factory.

80 percent of the 4 thousand youngsters in this factory come from rural areas in Ethiopia, and most of them didn't go to high school. Chairman Zhang Huarong came up with the idea to break cultural barriers with songs.

ZHANG HUARONG, CHAIRMAN HUA JIAN GROUP "They like me, they can relate to China's inclusiveness and sharing of development."

These young men had been to China to learn technology and management. Zhang Huarong gave each of them a Chinese name-Shang Hai, Guang Zhou, Fa Zhan and Fu Qiang. They like their Chinese names and hope their hometowns can be as prosperous as China's mega cities.

Guangzhou is in charge of a workshop -- even though he just turned 25 years old. Management staff like Guangzhou earn 5 thousand yuan per month, and even the ordinary workers earns twice the local average salary.

Ethiopia's shoe-making techniques have reached the global mid-level in just two years. Chinese companies have brought new technology and built an entire leather industry chain.

GUANG ZHOU, DIRECTOR OF FIRST WORKSHOP HUA JIAN ETHIOPIAN FACTORY "I manage about fourteen hundred staff now, I am very happy."

The industrial park is still expanding and will hire 50 thousand local employees. China has built 56 industrial parks or economic and trade cooperation areas in 20 countries along the Belt and Road. 180 thousand jobs have been created over the past five years.