26/09/2025
for Good, Win-Win for All | The 3rd China Merchants C Star Program Concludes Successfully #
"Thank you to the C Star Program for providing the platform and resources. The innovative inspiration gained from the China tour is like a 'seed', and we will plant these 'seeds' on the African continent to build a better future for Africa." At the closing ceremony of the 3rd China Merchants C Star Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program (hereinafter referred to as the C Star Program), Serero, a participant from Benin, expressed the aspirations of many African participants with these words.
On September 23, the closing ceremony of the 3rd C Star Program and the Youth Leadership Dialogue Forum were held at Peking University. Jiang Tiefeng, Vice General Manager of China Merchants Group, D**g Zhiyong, Vice President of Peking University, H.E. Ambassador Khadar Ali Omar of Somalia to China, H.E. Deputy Ambassador Linah Kagendo of Kenya to China, Wang Shaodan, Chairman of China-Africa Development Fund, and Bai Long, Chairman of the Global Times Public Welfare Foundation, delivered speeches respectively. Li Qi, Counselor of the Department of African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhang Yihao, Deputy Director of the News Center of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, as well as all participants of the 3rd C Star Program, attended the event.
Jiang Tiefeng congratulated the successful conclusion of the 3rd C Star Program. He stated that the C Star Program has been included in the "Beijing Action Plan" of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the concept document of the 2026 "China-Africa People-to-People Exchange Year", helping to build a bridge of friendship for Chinese and African youth to co-create, co-construct, and share at a higher level and in a broader field. Adhering to the concept of "Business for Good, Win-Win for All", China Merchants Group has built the C Star Program into a diversified, highly enabling, and sustainable "dream nest", supporting young people in achieving fruitful entrepreneurial results.
D**g Zhiyong said that Peking University is willing to work with the C Star Program and all sectors of society to continuously deepen cooperation between China and Africa as well as countries along the "Belt and Road", and contribute to building a high-level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.
Ambassador Khadar Ali Omar fully affirmed the role of the C Star Program in enhancing the innovation awareness of African youth in fields such as technology, agriculture, and culture. He also encouraged the participants to actively apply the knowledge and experience gained to address local challenges and create a better future for Africa.
Deputy Ambassador Linah Kagendo noted that the C Star Program has long supported the development of African youth, and the fact that two Kenyan participants revisited China this time is a testament to the Program's influence and sustainability. She expressed the hope that there will be more opportunities in the future to empower Africa's development with Chinese experience.
Makenna, a representative of previous participants from Kenya, said that the C Star Program has become a youth innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem that gathers friendship. She was delighted to witness the joining of participants of this cohort, working together to promote the germination and growth of entrepreneurial dream seeds.
At the ceremony, guests presented completion certificates and commemorative plaques to the participants, and a signing ceremony for the letter of intent on the C Star Special Fund cooperation was held. China Merchants Shekou, together with China-Africa Development Fund, will join hands with Sino Land Group, DBS Bank, and other institutions to provide financial support, resource connection, and growth guidance for young entrepreneurs, helping their projects take root and develop.
At the subsequent Youth Leadership Forum, guests and participants conducted in-depth discussions and exchanges around two topics: "Digital Intelligence Empowerment and Local Innovation" and "Cultural Integration and Consumption Upgrade", creating a lively atmosphere.
The 3rd C Star Program not only provided platform support and resource connection for global youth innovation and entrepreneurship but also brought new perspectives on international youth and overseas markets to China Merchants-related enterprises. During the 10-day China tour, participants visited Guangzhou, Shenzhen, D**gguan, and Beijing, paid visits to China Merchants-related enterprises, well-known universities, and government organizations, conducted extensive cooperation exchanges and resource connections, explored new cooperation models with enterprises, and promoted the formation of synergy in youth innovation and entrepreneurship to achieve win-win development.
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