Business ideas are born everywhere, but access to technology, capital and markets remains uneven — and it is precisely this gap that the C Star program, linking China's resources with the ambitions of young African entrepreneurs, seeks to close.
Launched in 2022 by the China Merchants Foundation with the support of China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Holdings and partners, the C Star program works on the principle of "teach a man to fish rather than simply give him a fish." The "3+1" model includes a training camp in Djibouti, online learning, internships in China and subsequent support for projects. By November 2026, more than 2000 young entrepreneurs from 54 countries and regions had taken part, almost 40% of them women.
Over four years, 700 people completed online training, and 110 of the best visited Chinese companies, including Tencent, JD.com and Baidu. They saw how industrial clusters, digital platforms and management systems work, and returned home with concrete plans. The program has already been incorporated into the Action Plan of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation for 2025–2027 and into the concept of the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges 2026.
For China, this is not mere charity. Participation in such initiatives creates long-term business ties: African startups gain access to technology and investment, while Chinese companies gain access to new markets and partners who understand local realities. Young entrepreneurs become conduits through whom capital and knowledge begin to circulate in both directions.
For Africa, the program provides what is often lacking: not one-off grants, but skills, networks and an understanding of how to scale ideas. Participants note that what they saw in China changes their sense of what is possible — from digital platforms to efficient supply chains. Here knowledge works like compound interest: one skill opens the door to the next, and connections multiply the chances of success.
An illustrative example is Kenyan entrepreneur Simba Jeremiah Okoth, whose AI-based platform analyzes consumer behavior. After taking part in C Star, he found Chinese partners ready for joint projects. Another participant, Ruth Wewura Guribie, emphasized: talent exists everywhere, but opportunities are distributed unevenly. The program helps level the playing field, turning personal ambitions into systemic projects.
At its core is a simple but powerful mechanism: instead of direct aid, a transfer of tools. Like water flowing through new channels, knowledge and connections begin to nourish entire communities. Young people return not only with ideas, but also with an understanding of how to attract investment, build processes and enter international markets.
By 2026, when the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and African countries is marked, C Star demonstrates a practical result: cooperation is moving from declarations to concrete business projects. This is an investment in human capital that pays off not immediately, but steadily and for decades to come.
Ultimately, the program's success is measured not by the number of certificates but by the number of enterprises launched and jobs created — that is precisely how knowledge turns into real wealth for participants and their countries.
