The city has witnessed rapid transformation in the past decades to today stand out as a veritable economic hub in China.

As Cameroon and other developing countries grapple with the problem of urban development, especially transforming some of their lofty plans into concrete realizations, how China and Shanghai in particular combined brain and field works to be where they are today could just be an eye opener. From the near shanty town some few decades back, Shanghai today is appealing to the eyes - development-wise, and its place in China and global economies non-negligible.

With just 0.06 per cent of China’s land area, Shanghai’s GDP in 2014 grew to 2,356.094 billion Yuan, representing 3.7 per cent contribution to national GDP of 63,646.3 billion Yuan. Its uncountable skyscrapers like the 632-metre high Shanghai Tower (tallest in China and second tallest in the world) do not only beautify the city, but also serve as attractive tourist sites. That the value of imports and exports at Shanghai’s Customs accounts for 20.1 per cent of the nation’s total, speaks of its economic vitality. The economy here is hugely diversified.

The Magic Wand

Authorities in the city told Cameroon Tribune that besides getting the best brains (local and foreign, but with the locals having the final say) to draft its development plan, involving all and sundry to implement the plan has been the city’s driving force. According to one of the brains, Zhao Qizheng, former Director General of the Foreign Affairs Commission of CPPCC, the city has been remodelling its economic structure, boosting socio-economic growth and improving people’s livelihoods.

Government made use of the city’s strategic central location along China’s coastal line to develop growth-engendered infrastructure and reforms which were quickly embraced by investors. Deep water ports, elevated roads, expressways, subways, tunnels and international airports, are just some of the fine infrastructure making life liveable in the city of over 24 million people. The development of Shanghai, authorities say, has also been greatly aided by its Pilot Free Trade Zone. Launched on September 29, 2013, the trade zone as at May 31, 2016, was already hosting 34,000 companies.

Development, Zhao Qizheng said, comes from viable and sustainable investments. This is where Shanghai stands tall. He noted that this passes through gaining the confidence of investors, getting the legal and administrative frameworks in place to protect their investments and above all, negotiating on win-win basis. Once government provides key infrastructure, there is possibility of negotiating joint ventures with investors, with better control and guarantees of profitability for all.

In the absence of joint ventures, government could embrace the public-private partnership contract model that allows investors to fund, develop and run projects before handing them to the State.