Born to be an entrepreneur

Zheng says he always felt an urge to innovate. This led him to Africa, a land about which he knew very little.

"I was not worried by the harsh conditions in Africa when I first went there. Instead, I soon recognized it was the place where I could show my talent and pursue my dream."

In 2006, his first expeditionary team to Angola comprised 10 tents, 20 building tools and 30 workers.

First working as a contractor for construction projects, the company's business now covers real estate development, industrial park development, mineral resources, international logistics, trade, investment and hotel management. Apart from establishing headquarters in Angola and Ghana, the company also operates in Nigeria, Mozambique and Kenya.

Zheng says that for the past few years, its revenue from Africa has seen annual growth of about 40 percent and, in 2013, it was about 2.2 billion yuan ($362 million). He expects it to reach 10 billion yuan in five years.

Unlike many other Chinese businesspeople in Africa, who earned their first large profits there, Zheng entered the market after accumulating some basic capital in China. He always took a long-term view of his involvement in Africa, expecting his company to become well integrated into society there.

Coming from a poor family, even as a boy Zheng was careful with limited resources and this has helped him develop effective techniques in his African businesses.

"I would like to describe our strategy as a dumbbell," he says. "One side is the big potential of the African market, which offers opportunities we can seize, such as getting projects and setting up channels. The other side is the resources in China, such as capital, talent and technology. Hasan aims to be the transverse bar that joins the two ends."

Zheng now visits Africa four to five times a year. He is prepared to snap up any new opportunities, but what challenges him now is how to build a high-quality international team. He now employs more than 2,000 Chinese and 1,000 locals.

"We have Chinese technicians, African technicians and sometimes Western technicians working together doing programs, but language is one barrier, because some speak Chinese, some English and some Portuguese," he says. "Many technicians have good technical skills, but just cannot overcome the language difficulties."