Tour girl finds business in Africa

Dong Haijing is one Chinese entrepreneur who has proved it is possible to go places in Africa.

The 25-year-old from Harbin in Heilongjiang province, set up her own travel agency in Accra in 2009 with just $25,000.

Now Beijing Travel and Tour employs seven local staff, including four drivers and three assistants as well as a Chinese accountant.

The business, which specializes in Chinese tourism and business clients, made a profit of $120,000 last year.

"I came to Ghana to help my cousin's small logistics business but then I discovered that there was no Chinese-operated travel agency in the country.

"The Chinese embassy and construction companies here needed a travel service provider to deal with various visitors from China."

Dong says it can be tough operating a business in Africa, and it is important not to be put off by grinding bureaucracy.

"I need to be a tough cookie sometimes, especially in dealing with Ghanaian government officials. I must push them to get the documents processed, otherwise you could just wait around forever," she says.

Dong studied travel management at Shenyang Tourism School before venturing to Africa, and started the business with a second-hand van.

She soon secured contracts with a number of organizations in China, including Hubei province's department of commerce and the China Council for the Promotion and International Trade.

"Chinese tourists and business delegations here like dealing with Chinese and they prefer doing things very fast, unlike my local competitors. My big advantage also is that the Ghanaian tour agencies cannot speak Chinese," she says.

Despite her success, she says operating in Ghana can be quite tough.

"You certainly shouldn't carry a lot cash. You also need to be willing to pay the cost for personal security and trust nobody," she adds.

Dong diversified last year, setting up a company to help other Chinese firms enter the Ghana market.

She eventually plans to hand over her Ghana interests to her brother and then study in either the US or the UK for a degree in business management.

"Africa has taught me a lot about business and I would like the chance to do something similar in future in a Western market, perhaps Canada," she says.

(China Daily 01/18/2013 page5)