China’s influence on African work ethic gives it an edge

An illustration of Sino-African relations: Liu Rui / gt

Labor productivity is very low in African countries compared to other countries in the world. As a result, this has led to lower incomes and higher levels of poverty in the resource-rich continent.

Part of the logic behind this phenomenon is that most jobs created in Africa are unproductive and informal, and thus are low-paid internally.

Traditional regulatory trends continue to make efficient use of the workforce in Africa, undermining their pursuit of a better job rate.

Indeed, Africa is reluctant to allow women to participate meaningfully and to participate in leadership in various sectors of the economy, despite their qualifications. Combined with top-down management and closed-down methods in firms, the output of the economy remains below expectations in this area.

Times have changed, but so have the continent’s focus on various issues. Across Africa, governments and organizations are gradually adopting the technology.

This is done with the aim of responding to the same production in the background by ensuring that the same amount of product can be produced with fewer resources or that more products can be produced with the same amount of resources.

Moreover, there is still a broad glimmer of hope on the horizon, which will stimulate a complete rethink in the participation of the African workforce and significantly alter their economic viability. The arrival of China is changing the way the region operates in different ways. A unique example is the introduction of a new business culture in Africa.

From hunger and a desire to give Africa a new face, to China plunging into poverty, ignorance and disease, China and the leadership of the continent are engaging in massive and widespread works from roads, airports and ports to power. Connection

In this new move to consolidate the transformation agenda of African countries, Chinese companies had to work around the clock to overcome tough deadlines without compromising the quality of their results.

From the Nairobi Highway in Kenya to the four-lane Busega-Mampigi Highway, Uganda and the modern Mwanza-Dar es Salaam railway in Tanzania, Chinese companies are encouraging their workers to work all day shifts, which they do more often and are more economical.

This shift in work methods, which typically uses shifts of three to eight hours to provide coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, has broken the barriers between day and night in Africa, and has already filled comfortable working hours. This has created more job opportunities, especially for young people. Gradually, this enabled them financially, reducing the crime rate.

It would be a mistake to think that this business culture is restricted to Chinese companies. This new way of doing things has been expanded and adopted by local companies, including western companies operating in African countries. They range from shopping malls, hospitals, and media companies to entertainment centers and telecom companies.

In addition to introducing a 24-hour economy that has now been disrupted by coronavirus outbreak protocols, another clear work culture that China is increasingly promoting in Africa is the division of labor, in which work is divided into multiple tasks. Each is managed by a specific person or group of qualified people at a specific date.

The result is less production time, lower production costs, and lower productivity and innovation. And China-Africa cooperation is expected to flourish for further development between the two regions.

The author is a researcher and expert on China-Africa cooperation in Nairobi, Kenya. Follow him on Twitter @kapchanga. [email protected]