China Machinery Industry Construction Group (SINOCONST), a subsidiary of Sinomach, has undertaken the China-aided project of building corn meal processing plants in Zambia since 2019. As a public welfare project, it has eased pressure on local food supplies and improved the processing level of corn flour. A great number of employment opportunities have also been created by the project, leading to local economic development.

The People's Daily, the largest newspaper group in China, reported on the Zambian project, hailing the development of the leading Chinese enterprise Sinomach in overseas markets. The coverage presented the local people's recognition of the project via narration by a local project employee.

Chinese and Zambian workers cooperate to install steel beams for a corn meal processing plant in Zambia. [Photo/Sinomach]

Zambia was the first country in southern Africa to establish diplomatic ties with China. The Chinese government has long worked with Zambia to boost the country's national economic development and raise its people's level of education and improve their living conditions.

Farm operators inspect the soybean yield in their fields in Amapá, a state in the northern region of Brazil. [Photo/People's Daily]

The reporter interviewed Robert Mwanza, a skilled worker who participated in the construction of the corn meal processing plant in Zambia, and explored the poverty alleviation brought by the SINOCONST project from a local point of view.

"The two years I participated in the construction of a corn meal processing plant was an unforgettable experience. It not only changed my life, but also brought new changes to my hometown," Mwanza said.

"I only knew how to farm at that time. It made me overjoyed that the company still employed me and arranged detailed skills training courses for me and other new employees," he said, expressing his gratitude for the job opportunity offered by SINOCONST and especially for the basic skills that he hadn't had the chance to learn before.

The job helped Mwanza increase his income and improve his family conditions. Many people have found jobs in factories and become local technicians through training courses. The corn meal processing plant is now the largest modern factory in the region. From grain purchase, cleaning, storage and processing, to the output and packaging of corn flour products, all functions of the plant are fully automated.

The factory can process 240 tons of corn per day, and is a corn meal processing and production training base that provides training courses for 200 students per year.

According to Mwanza, SINOCONST showed great concern about their lives. In addition to paying monthly wages and pension insurance, the company also provided local employees with free Nshima, a dish made from maize flour and water which is a staple food in Zambia, to save food costs for local staff. In an effort to fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, SINOCONST prepared anti-epidemic supplies for local people and promoted epidemic prevention and control measures on a regular basis.