Alibaba's Jack Ma trending in Kenya

Alibaba's Jack Ma trending in Kenya

Asia's richest man, founder and executive chairman of Chinese e-commerce Alibaba Group, Jack Ma today addressed a group of 500 aspiring business leaders at the University of Nairobi.

Ma, who is currently trending on Twitter under the hashtag #JackMaInKenya, is on a two-day trip to the East African country.

Below are several tweets posted from Nailab‏ @thenailab during his presentation:

2h2 hours ago:

"Small is Beautiful, Small is Powerful" #JackMaInKenya

3h3 hours ago:

"Good days always come late, Tough days always come early" #JackMaInKenya

3h3 hours ago:

"As a CEO, care for your colleagues and they will in turn care for you." - Jack Ma #JackMaInKenya

3h3 hours ago:

"When you're profitable, after paying your employees, you can then pay yourself as an entrepreneur."- Jack Ma #JackMaInKenya

3h3 hours ago:

A leader must have a vision, should inspire his/her team. #JackMaInKenya

3h3 hours ago:

"If you don't have a great dream for your company's future, you will not have a lot of people following you." - Jack Ma #JackMaInKenya

3h3 hours ago:

"Spend enough time with customers, employees. That's the best way to compete with your competitors." - Jack Ma. #JackMaInKenya

3h3 hours ago:

"The young African entrepreneurs need to establish the Alibaba of Africa before a Chinese does." - @UNCTADKituyi #JackMaInKenya

Ma has been noted for urging developing countries to look to e-commerce to bolster their economies, instead of creating regulations and taxes that could kill the emerging sector in its infancy. "We should not discipline the baby before even it is born," he said at a recent gathering in Geneva during UNCTAD's annual e-commerce week convention.

Last year, Ma was named special advisor for youth entrepreneurship by UNCTAD for youth entrepreneurship and small business. Ma is also said to be the richest man in Asia with a fortune valued at nearly $30 billion (nearly half of Kenya's economic output).

He is joined by UNCTAD secretary general, Mukhisa Kituy, who said Ma would focus on opening markets for small businesses and encouraging the culture of enterprise in Africa. "I have discussed with Jack Ma and others that I would like us not only to grow African enterprises but also to start raising voices that a special market access waiver for produce from Africa, particularly from small business, is needed," he said.

"Effort should be made to encourage young Kenyan entrepreneurs to access the Chinese market just like the Chinese are accessing local markets. Our challenge is not finding agents to import Chinese goods, I am looking for people who are willing to sell African goods to China," he added.

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