The Youth Chamber of Commerce and Industry South Africa (YCCISA) firmly believes that the youth are the future of the nation. We uphold the principle that young people are the link in South Africa’s economic development. YCCISA is dedicated to building platforms centered around youth, leveraging their self-motivation to inspire more of their peers to achieve developmental momentum. This initiative aims to encourage broader participation in South Africa’s economic growth, thereby fostering better lives for all through the empowerment of youth across various sectors.

YCCISA embraces the ideals of South African independence and an autonomous economic system, advocating for equality among African people and the global community. By harnessing the intrinsic drive of young individuals to realize their dreams, YCCISA supports the economic progress of South Africa. We trust that, as a once-advanced nation under Black leadership and considering current national conditions, improvements in governance systems, trade cooperation, talent education, and external partnerships can be achieved. Collaborating with complementary nations, global partners, and African allies, we aim to build networks among youth, extending to families and professional endeavors, creating a vibrant community of South African youth. This approach promotes multidimensional and systematic economic development in South Africa.

YCCISA believes that “developmental gaps represent our potential for growth” and that “advanced nations serve as benchmarks for our aspirations.” Implementing the concept of “self-motivation” throughout the year is essential to boost South Africa’s economic development.

In late 2024, the leadership team of the Youth Chamber of Commerce and Industry South Africa was invited by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a permanent intergovernmental international organization established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai (PRC) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The SCO has established partnerships with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the International Committee of the Red Cross (IRC), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Tourism Organization (WTO), the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), and the League of Arab States (LAS), among others. The Committee on Urban Development and Cooperation of the Multi-functional Economic and Trade Platform for SCO Countries visited several cities in China, including Longnan, Tianshui, Guiyang, Beijing, and Tianjin.

Mr. Wang Li, the Secretary-General of the Urban Development and Cooperation Committee, curated a selection of city administrators, entrepreneurs, and key decision-makers for YCCISA. These individuals were chosen based on their alignment with values such as “South African independent development with a self-reliant economic system” and “Black equality in the world.” We engaged in profound discussions about serving South Africa’s development and propelling its economy forward. During our journey, we experienced a different side of China. We had deep exchanges, and when I asked why we could see this distinct aspect of China, the response was, “we are family.” Because “we are family,” we witnessed how government officials work daily, solve problems, and manage challenges—not just the formalities of receiving foreign guests. Because “we are family,” Chinese entrepreneurs openly shared insights into how they operate and thrive in various sectors, rather than merely showcasing their business capabilities. And because “we are family,” these leaders freely disclosed the intricacies of their economic systems. These systems are precisely the sedimentation of China’s economic development over the past 40 years and how to achieve such sedimentation. He once told me that what Chinese people excel at is not showcasing their “strength” to the outside world, but rather confronting problems internally with courage, resolving issues, and transforming challenges into opportunities for development. We all firmly believe that we, as African people, also possess wisdom and potential. He mentioned that, in fact, our governance system is more advanced than China’s, but after centuries of “oppressed living,” the consciousness we have formed has hindered our economic development. During my time in China, I learned about the “ruling and being ruled” development system, which helped me understand the difference between GNP and GDP in economic development.

“Vision” empowers us to look beyond South Africa and envision our future; “Seeing” allows our young civil servants, entrepreneurs, and innovators to visit rapidly growing nations and witness potential future scenarios; “Learning” enables seasoned administrators and entrepreneurs to guide their South African counterparts in confronting challenges, resolving issues, establishing long-term mechanisms, and making informed decisions; “Entrepreneurship” inspires dynamic youth to build careers in both administrative and commercial sectors, creating vibrant networks across industries that coalesce into a powerful force driving South Africa’s development under authentic mentorship. Finally, “Training” will motivate more individuals to join our cause.

YCCISA believes that the concept of youth is not confined to age. Instead, YCCISA views all entities with “self-motivation” and “potential”—including but not limited to cities, industries, and businesses—as youth, emphasizing the growth of individuals to enhance efficiency and foster rapid development across various fields. This approach is designed to achieve high-quality development in South Africa and expand its network of partnerships.

For urban development: While YCCISA collaborates with international organizations and partners that share common values to build the “SA+ YCCI Network,” it aims to engage in phases such as “urban consulting,” “urban mechanism recommendations,” and “urban development implementation” to leverage youth self-motivation for regional industrial growth, thereby empowering cities and ensuring sustainable, green economic development:

Urban Consulting:

1) By combining the foundational conditions of South African provinces and cities with future development prospects, YCCISA will work alongside the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Committee for Urban Development and Cooperation, as well as other like-minded entities, to explore potential pathways for these cities.

For instance: Johannesburg is often referred to by China as its “Shanghai.” Many city administrators from South Africa have visited major Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen for research purposes. However, during my visit with the Committee on Urban Development and Cooperation to cities like Longnan, Tianshui, and especially Guiyang, I felt a profound sense of camaraderie among these sister cities. They serve as role models for Johannesburg, offering valuable insights into our own development trajectory. The daily challenges faced by their administrative officials closely mirror our own, providing practical solutions. Furthermore, we discovered that South Africa’s power shortages severely restrict economic growth. We visited Anjie IoT Technology Co., Ltd. in Tianjin, a partner of the EU Climate Committee that has developed an independent green energy construction and operation system. There, I witnessed zero-carbon buildings, which are China’s first of their kind, with energy consumption at just 20% of traditional power systems. I engaged in discussions with the administrative officials and enterprise leaders; their primary hope is to assist South Africa in developing its own sustainable energy systems.

We anticipate that Johannesburg will leverage its intrinsic advantages to establish “headquarter economies,” “port economies,” “entrepreneurial economies,” “investment economies,” and “green energy service economies” within South Africa. We aim to promote the development of external cooperation platforms for Johannesburg while integrating South Africa’s economic growth with global collaborations to foster headquarter economies and one-stop service economies. Moreover, we plan to utilize Johannesburg’s economic strengths to create import-export hubs for high-quality South African products and enhance trade service economies through international economic and trade relationships. Our collaboration with JD Group from China will help establish a barter cooperation system and trade agency framework between China and Africa, facilitating South African agricultural products’ entry into global markets and supporting local entrepreneurs by establishing e-commerce startup centers and agricultural training facilities. This initiative will transform agricultural products into processed goods or commodities—turning potatoes into chips for sale in both China and South Africa—and enable JD Group to construct a bridge for bartering imported and exported goods. In doing so, we will allow South African youth to connect directly with consumers in China and around the world. We look forward to Anjie IoT Technology actively participating in the urban development of Johannesburg, applying green and sustainable operational concepts to reduce our energy consumption and enhance the efficiency of energy operations. This will lay the foundation for developing industrial economies across various sectors.

We will establish a one-stop “Urban Living Room” cooperation with leading industries in various Chinese cities, utilizing Johannesburg as the gateway. This will position Johannesburg to become a central hub for innovation and collaboration.

We will collaborate with the Stanford China Chronic Disease Medical Testing Center located in China to promote non-profit chronic disease screening. This initiative will serve our civil service system, entrepreneurial system, and all sectors of society, ensuring that our social structure is not affected by sudden outbreaks of chronic diseases while also enabling us to achieve early prevention through this system.

From a fiscal perspective, Johannesburg will gain sustainable trade-related taxes, comprehensive taxes brought about by the headquarters economy, capital-related taxes from corporate listings, service-related taxes from the service economy, and the impetus from high-end talent entrepreneurship. Meanwhile, these sustainable taxes can continuously drive the development of urban infrastructure.

2) Based on the potential and feasibility of the city, we will connect with South African cities:

Different political parties and individuals, due to their varied backgrounds, have distinct decision-making leadership philosophies. We will align with the developmental directions of different cities and connect with various provinces and cities in South Africa, combining the development aspirations of these cities to identify true starting points for implementation. This will form working groups responsible for executing relevant matters.

3) We will determine the urban implementation mechanism based on relevant cooperative agreements. We will set development goals based on directional intentions, determine promotion priorities according to these goals, and form specific projects for implementation (including personnel composition, personnel education, learning opportunities for the youth, entrepreneurial potential in industries, and methods and targets for investment). Based on the established projects, we will assign relevant responsibilities and institutions, determine responsible individuals and beneficiaries to ensure transparency of mechanisms and maintain everyone’s enthusiasm.

From the perspective of industrial cooperation, under the active promotion of the SCO Cities Development and Cooperation Committee, YCCISA has already accumulated the following industrial chains and partners:

Cooperative cities include: Longnan City (China’s Medicine Hometown, China’s Mining Capital), Tianshui City (China’s Cultural Hub, Western China’s Logistics Node, China’s Tourist City), Guiyang City (China’s Big Data Capital, China’s Poverty Alleviation Demonstration Capital), Zhanjiang City (China’s Fishing Capital), Lianyungang City (China’s Industrial Cooperation Node City), etc.

Cooperative industries involve: traditional medical pharmaceuticals, mining and mine governance, new energy operations and manufacturing, the entire electric vehicle industry chain including parts and maintenance, artificial intelligence, big data, the fishing industry, heavy industry and manufacturing, the electronic information industry, the pharmaceutical industry, urban development and investment, new material research and manufacturing, and a full ecosystem of basic electronics manufacturing.

Capital service system: Shenzhen Stock Exchange, Guosen Securities, Cinda Investment, US SEC.

The SCO Multi-functional Economic and Trade Platform looks forward to engaging with the international development system and YCCISA to serve South Africa’s development, building a multi-functional economic and trade platform specifically for South Africa that serves the African continent.

Together with YCCISA, we aim to promote global friendly countries and individuals connected through the youth as a bond. We are dedicated to serving the industrial development of various cities and building a non-profit platform for cooperation among global countries, including South Africa, BRICS nations, and African countries, as well as fostering collaboration between China and these regions.