The All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) decided to establish the platform for China-Africa investment promotion to support private enterprises in actively yet prudently carrying out investment and cooperation in Africa. The platform was initiated for the purpose of thoroughly implementing the instructions made by President Xi Jinping in his important speech at the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and taking effective action according to the results and tasks of the conference. ZIBS was invited to become a member of the platform.

Xu Lejiang, Vice Minister of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, and concurrently Secretary of Leading Party Members' Group and Executive Vice Chairman of
ACFIC, announced the inauguration of the platform at the first "Belt and Road" Summit of Private Enterprises Co-constructing the Belt and Road Initiative held on the morning of August 30.

By integrating advantageous resources, strengthening overall coordination and forming strong synergy, the platform provides comprehensive services for private enterprises to invest and develop
in Africa, and facilitates high-standard, people-centered and sustainable private investment and cooperation between China and Africa.

ZIBS has a profound partnership with Africa. As the first Chinese intellectual partner of the alliance Smart Africa, ZIBS has maintained long-term good cooperation and exchanges with well-known African institutions such as the University of Pretoria's Gordon Institute of Business Science in South Africa in various aspects, including academic research, talent training and platform construction. Recently, ZIBS has discussed in-depth cooperation with Smart Africa, including renewing the memorandum of understanding (MOU), expanding cooperation in depth and breadth, and joining the member alliance of Smart Africa as an academic partner. Moreover, ZIBS is also interacting with universities in African countries to accumulate African academic cooperation resources for the ZIBS China-Africa Center to be established at the end of October.

As a member of the platform for China-Africa investment promotion, ZIBS will perform its role as a think tank and fully leverage its international talent advantages and discipline resources in a bid to contribute its wisdom to building and developing the platform as well as helping private enterprises go global and co-construct the Belt and Road Initiative.