China SOEs move to fill African investment gap

Jeannine Ollo Servat, a 48-year-old businesswoman from the Cote d'Ivoire, is arguably, the richest woman in western Africa. She has also emerged as one of the key mediators between African and Chinese business interests. She has made no secret of her desire to make a life-long commitment to developing Chinese investments throughout her home continent.

Last year, China-Africa bilateral trade soared to $106 billion, a record high that has seen China leapfrog France to become Africa's second largest trade partner, lagging behind only the US.

Servat now sees China's State-owned enterprises (SOEs), by far the largest Chinese players in the African continent, as key to realizing her ambitions for Africa's future development. She says: "China's investment in Africa is a win-win situation for both African countries and China."