A Decade of Building and Living in Africa

By staff reporter LU RUCAI

THE tracks that connect Ethiopias capital Addis Ababa and its southern city Mieso embody the countrys first modern railway. Stretching 329 km and designed for trains traveling at 120 km/h， the railway was built by the China Railway No.2 Group Co.， Ltd. During a ceremony to mark the projects completion， Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said that it would become the lifeblood of the countrys economy.

Before that on February 1， the company held a ceremony marking the trial operation of the Addis Ababa light rail project. This is the first urban light rail in Ethiopia， as well as Africas first light rail project contracted to a Chinese enterprise. Liu Jilong， one of the project managers， has been working in Africa for a decade and has witnessed railways take shape on the continent.

Get to Know the Land

After graduating from the Central South University in Hunan Province， Liu became an English translator at the Transtech Engineering Corporation in 2004. The company， based in Sichuan Provinces capital Chengdu， is engaged in international engineering and con- struction projects， import-export activities and international investment. Today， scores of companies like this can be found in China.

At that time， the company had business in about 10 countries scattered in Africa， Southeast Asia， the Middle East and South America. Less than a year after joining Transtech， Liu was sent to Angola， where the company had a railway project in the capital city Luanda.

Liu flew to Africa with some knowledge of the local life， gleaned from colleagues and media reports. But nothing prepared him for the shock of seeing what would become his new home.

“The streets and roads were full of bumps and potholes，” Liu said. “Drainage facilities did not work well and in some places were even absent.” To him the buildings in the capital resembled those found in small Chinese towns.

The Luanda railway project was signed in 2003. The year before that， Angolas civil war， which had lasted for nearly three decades， finally ended. “The government decided to invest in more infrastructures to revive the economy， but the plan was beset with financial problems，” Liu said. “The assistance provided by Western countries and the financial organizations dominated by those countries came with harsh conditions. The Chinese government provided financial support upon the request of the Angolan government.”

Transtech took on a US $120 million project to rebuild the Luanda railway， together with the China Machinery Engineering Corporation. The work included design， procurement， and construction. At that time， it was the largest project China had ever contracted in Angola. When it started， Liu said， the staff included about 100 Chinese citizens. As his company signed more local contracts， their Chinese employees grew to some 700.

The railway， which connects the Angolan capital and the Port of Luanda to the countrys rail network， plays an important role in the domestic freight system. Soon after the project started， China and Angola signed a financing package， in which China offered loans and technology for Angolas infrastruc- ture construction. The package， worth US $600 million in accumulated contract value， included the countrys largest housing construction project， railway rehabilitation， municipal engineering， and irrigation and water conservancy. The massive amount of development work brought to Angola more Chinese enterprises.

In August 2013， Luandas railway administration recognized the Angolan branch of Transtech for its outstanding construction quality and work efficiency. Liu， however， could no longer attend the awards ceremony. He had already been transferred to Uganda.

Improve Local Life

In Uganda， Liu worked on his companys bid to build the states tax bureau office building. He also took part in two projects in South Sudan， but Transtech had to call them off due to South Sudans civil war and worsening security situation. Afterwards， Liu was transferred to China Railway No.2 Group Co.， Ltd. and worked for the railway project in Ethiopia.

It was his company that funded the construction of the Ethiopian urban light rail， which used Chinese technologies in its design， construction， equipment， and operation. The projects first phase， with a contract value of US $475 million， built 31 km of track that is expected to go into operation this September.

“The light rail is a convenient urban transportation that connects the citys landmarks， including the airport， the headquarters of the African Union， the sports center and major residential areas，” Liu said.

During his visit to Ethiopia in May 2014， Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited the railways construction site in Addis Ababa. He called on the Chinese staff to share with African counterparts their experience in railway construction，train local workers and offer more jobs to the locals. China Railway No.2 Group has 2，000 administrative personnel and technical workers from China and employed 15，000 local staff members.

For Liu and other Chinese working overseas， being responsive to the needs of their host culture is a priority. In 2012， his company donated US $17，000 to Ethiopians athletic delegation to participate in the London Olympics. At the request of Sebeta， a town adjacent to Addis Ababa， China Railway No. 2 Group funded the paving of a road to facilitate travel.

When a bus fell into a ravine 200 km away from the capital in March 2014， Lius company immediately dispatched experienced Chinese drivers and cranes to the site and eventually helped rescue 10 or more passengers. It has also built football fields， donated office supplies and provided clean water free of charge to villagers near the construction sites.

“As far as I know， almost all African countries welcome investments from China， because the Chinese government does not impose political conditions on them，” Liu said. “Most African people praise Chinese assistance and hope the Chinese development model， which has achieved remarkable results， can be adopted in their countries.

“They have seen how Chinese investment and enterprises have boosted the development of Africas infrastructure， agriculture and healthcare.”

But Liu did admit that some Chinese companies operating overseas are engaged in unscrupulous practices. Some force prices down or defame each other. Whats more， the qualifications of some companies are not properly assessed， so projects are subcontracted and end up in the hands of incapable contractors.“This has tarnished the image of Chinese enterprises，” Liu said.

Bittersweet Life

Liu was filled with curiosity when he first arrived in Luanda. But after one year， those feelings were replaced by boredom. He found life on the construction site dull and the citys public security inadequate.

Firearms management in Angola is poor. Liu said that gunshots can often be heard outside his construction site. Sometimes bullets hit the roofs of their offices and dorms and even penetrate layers of iron sheets. The companys logistical base， situated in a remote Angolan area， has been broken into several times.

“Armed men used guns to overpower our security guards and Chinese staff， and looted cash and computers，” Liu said. Almost every Chinese company there has experienced such trials.

In November 2005， Liu was involved in a serious traffic accident. While he and his colleagues were driving from the construction site to their office， their car overturned. Some of his companions were killed and laid to rest in the African continent.

Back in China， he has a lovely wife and a 6-year-old boy. He regrets not being beside his wife while she was pregnant. “My wife complained that she felt sad seeing other pregnant women strolling with their husbands，” Liu said.

Though he had promised to be with her when she gave birth， he was not able to fulfill the vow as their child was born earlier than expected. He went home but was only able to be with his wife and their newborn child for a month and half.

He believes that infrastructure projects in transportation， electricity and communication will continue to boom in Africa as emerging economies and developed countries increase their investments locally. His company certainly has excellent business opportunities. But he feels torn about living so far away from home.

“If I had a chance to choose all over again， I would rather not work for an engineering company，” he said. “We have to spend so much time on construction sites， whether in China or abroad. A regular family life is not the norm for us.”

After living in Africa for a decade， Liu has developed a greater appreciation for the continent and its people. “At first， I was apalled at their underdeveloped living conditions.” He thought that some people were not willing to work hard to improve their lives. “But after having known them for several years， I realized that their lifestyle embodies a harmonious coexistence with nature.” He may stay or go， but Africa will always have an irreplaceable place in his life.