Feature: Chinese companies in Uganda, a source of skill transfer to Ugandan youths

The 40-year-old Francis Sengo is a master at steel works.

He leads his team at a major road construction site that will link Uganda's capital Kampala to Entebbe International Airport, the country's gateway to the world.

When the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) started construction of this expressway, the first of its kind in Uganda, Sengo had no skills at all.

"I knew nothing about steel works. My Chinese supervisor used to tell me to work so hard so that when he leaves, I will remain with the skills to continue working," Sengo told Xinhua at the road site about 20 km south of Kampala.

Like Sengo, Moses Otem is another Ugandan who is keen on learning from the Chinese road engineers.

"I was employed as a plumber but in the due process, I have learnt how to make culverts. I am sure I will learn how to make bridges," he said.

A distance from the construction site, a group of about 25 Ugandans are working with Chinese road construction laboratory experts to tests soil samples and other ingredients that would be used.

On several road and hydro power dam construction projects elsewhere in the east African country, Chinese engineers are seen working alongside their Ugandan counterparts transferring skills and knowledge which the Ugandans will use elsewhere when the current projects end.

Ouyang Daobin, Economic Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Uganda told Xinhua that vocational training and skills transfer were critical in the development of China into the world's manufacturing hub.

He argued that a similar move can be implemented in Uganda in the country's bid to fast track its economic development.

China has already announced that it is going to construct a 35 million U.S. dollar vocational training institute at Namanve Industrial Park about 20 km east of the capital Kampala.

Every year, according to the Chinese embassy figures, China provides scholarships to 300 Ugandans to go to China for short term vocational training. These scholarships are in addition to the 100 scholarships given to Ugandans to go to China for long-term training.

Construction project managers argue that skills development in Uganda is critical because it will reduce on project time and expenditure. Importing expertise would increase the project costs in terms flight costs and salaries.

Zhang Weidong General Manager of CCCC said that at the start of the construction of the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway, the company had to fly in Chinese engineers and foremen because there were few local people who understood the Chinese standards.

"Fortunately, now most of the local laborers have the skills and experience to work on the site," he said.

The Ugandan government in June this year approved the borrowing of 100 million U.S. dollars from the World Bank to boost skills development. The money will partly be used to improve labor skills to ensure relevance with market needs. Endit