Hisense SA Industrial Park project boosts "Made in Africa"

BEIJING, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Jointly-launched by China-Africa Development Fund (CADFund) and China's electronic giant Hisense Group, Hisense SA Industrial Park has boosted the manufacturing in Africa. Last year, the park produced a total of 261,000 refrigerators and 389,000 TVs, contributing greatly to manufacturing capacity of South Africa.

Established in 2013 in the Atlantis industrial park, about 50 kilometers north of Cape Town, Hisense SA Industrial Park has an annual production capacity of 540,000 refrigerators and 390,000 TV sets.

By promoting technology transfer, the project changed "Made in China" to "Made in Africa" and accelerated the development of supporting industries, effectively improving the manufacturing level of household appliances industry in Africa.

In 2014, the project started export business and expanded its market to neighboring countries. In the future, it is planned to cover more than 30 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Each year, the project creates 2,000 jobs and trains 5,000 technicians for home appliances.

The project is invested by CADFund, the first Chinese investment fund focusing on investments in Africa, inaugurated in June 2007. 

Ebrahim Patel, South Africa's Minister of Economic Development said that in the future, South Africa will not only become a global supplier of industrial raw materials, but also a production center. The Hisense SA Industrial Park project will help South Africa realize this dream soon. (Edited by Li Wenxin and Duan Jing, duanjing@xinhua.org )