The closing ceremony of the 2026 C Star Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program and the Youth Leadership Dialogue take place at Peking University in Beijing on November 3, 2026. Photo: China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Holdings

The closing ceremony of the 2026 C Star Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program and the Youth Leadership Dialogue were held at Peking University in Beijing on November 3, drawing nearly 100 participants, including diplomats from African countries stationed in China and C Star trainees. Young African entrepreneurs shared how their exposure to China's advanced technologies, AI applications, efficient business operations and vibrant innovation ecosystem had broadened their horizons, inspired new business ideas and opened up opportunities to turn their entrepreneurial ambitions into reality back home.

Launched in 2022, the China Merchants C Star Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program is an overseas public welfare initiative funded by the China Merchants Foundation, implemented by China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Holdings, and co-organized by the China-Africa Development Fund and the Global Times Foundation.

Guided by the philosophy of "teaching people how to fish rather than simply giving them fish," the program adopts a "3+1" model that combines a training camp in Djibouti, online entrepreneurship training, study tours in China and continued follow-up support for promising projects. It aims to connect young entrepreneurs, primarily from Africa, with Chinese expertise, investment opportunities, business networks and innovation resources.Since its launch, the program has expanded to 54 countries and regions, attracting more than 2,000 young entrepreneurs. Over 700 participants have received online training, with women accounting for nearly 40 percent. A total of 110 outstanding young entrepreneurs have joined study tours in China, visiting more than 100 Chinese companies.

The program was included in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Action Plan (2025-27) in 2024 and incorporated into the concept document for the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges in 2025, reflecting its growing role in promoting youth entrepreneurship and practical cooperation between China and Africa.

"C Star" is an overseas public welfare program funded by China Merchants Foundation and led by China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Holdings for implementation. The Global Times Foundation is one of the co-organizers of the program's closing ceremony.

Gong Liyun, a board member of China Merchants Group, congratulated participants on completing the fourth C Star program, noting that 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and African countries and the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.

She said this year's program offered participants an opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of China's industrial development and innovation ecosystem, moving beyond simply providing entrepreneurial training toward building lasting partnerships.

Duan Huiling, a vice president of Peking University, said the university would continue to leverage its strengths in education, research and talent development to create broader opportunities for exchanges and innovation among Chinese and African youth.

Sun Xueqing, a vice president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, encouraged young people to use platforms such as C Star to carry forward China-Africa friendship, deepen mutual understanding and jointly pursue modernization.

Elsie Maseke, a representative of the Namibian Embassy in China, expressed appreciation for the program's contribution to developing young African talent. She hoped that China-Africa cooperation would continue to create opportunities for young entrepreneurs to bring knowledge, professional networks and innovative ideas back to their communities.

Yu Zhuorui, a vice president of the China-Africa Development Fund, highlighted the growing opportunities for young entrepreneurs as digital transformation reshapes economic cooperation between China and Africa. "Young people are among the most dynamic forces driving digital innovation. Through C Star, we aim to help African entrepreneurs develop digital skills, refine their business plans and connect with investment and industry resources, turning promising ideas into tangible cooperation projects," Yu said.

Bai Long, chairman of the Global Times Foundation, said that over the past four years, the C Star program's circle of friends has continued to expand. The Global Times Foundation will uphold its mission, continue its active exploration and innovative contributions in the field of social responsibility as an international media outlet, keep focusing on China-Africa cooperation and China-Africa youth innovation and entrepreneurship, and continue to use media credibility as a fulcrum to mobilize more international communication and social forces to participate, helping more C Star rising stars to shine.

During their study tour, C Star participants visited major business operations under China Merchants Group as well as leading Chinese technology companies, including Tecent, JD.com and Baidu. The visits offered them firsthand exposure to China's industrial innovation, AI applications, digital platforms and business management practices.

Visits to Beijing, Xiamen and other destinations also gave participants opportunities to experience China's cultural heritage and contemporary urban development. 

Simba Jeremiah Okoth, CEO at an AI-powered consumer intelligence platform for the African market in Kenya, told the Global Times that the program's greatest value lay in its ability to connect entrepreneurs with potential partners who understood their business ambitions. He said C Star had facilitated targeted exchanges with Chinese enterprises interested in exploring mutually beneficial partnerships with Africa. Visits to major technology companies also offered a glimpse of what African startups could become as they expanded through cooperation across different industries.

He described how China's technology ecosystem had helped reshape the entrepreneur's ambitions. He added that C Star was strengthening both current and future China-Africa relations by connecting some of Africa's most promising entrepreneurial talent with China's broader economic and technological development.

Ruth Wewura Guribie, another C Star participant, said programs like C Star are important because entrepreneurial talent existed everywhere, but access to opportunities remained uneven. Across Africa and other developing regions, many young people have innovative ideas and promising businesses but face challenges in accessing technology, knowledge, capital, markets and professional networks. The experience in China helped participants recognize that their initial circumstances did not have to limit their future ambitions, she said.

By combining industrial resources with cultural exchanges and long-term entrepreneurial support, the C Star program has continued to build bridges between young innovators in China and Africa. As China and African countries mark the Year of People-to-People Exchanges in 2026, the program offers a practical example of how cooperation can move beyond dialogue to create new business opportunities, nurture young talent and contribute to shared development.

The closing ceremony was followed by a Youth Leadership Dialogue under the theme "Connecting China and Africa through Digital Technology, Creating a Smart Future Together." Representatives from Peking University, Beijing Foreign Studies University and China Agricultural University exchanged views with C Star participants on how digital technologies could facilitate cross-border industrial cooperation.