Alibaba founder in Kenya to mentor young entrepreneurs

Jack Ma

By Andrew Wasike and Magdalene Mukami.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - The richest man in Asia, Jack Ma, on Thursday spoke to thousands of youths at the University of Nairobi and the Nailab centre in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The Chinese founder of e-commerce platform Alibaba arrived in Kenya on Wednesday for a two-day visit at the request of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to mentor youths on building successful businesses.

"People in Kenya want to change, this is exactly what I saw 20-30 years ago in China. You the youth have the power to do great things and I am here to tell you that all you need to do is to not sleep on your dreams," Ma said.

Ma said that he started his business in his apartment 18 years ago with no infrastructure whatsoever and no cellphones.

He urged the youths to use today's technology to their advantage to build great business empires with an emphasis on the Internet.

Ma, who is the special advisor for youth entrepreneurship and small business at UNCTAD was accompanied by its secretary-general, Mukhisa Kituyi, and 38 Chinese billionaires.

The Chinese billionaires are also in Kenya to scout for business opportunities in East Africa.