Stephen Ketu says that most of the people in Ghana whom he helped into the export business with China are now very rich. Provided to China Daily

But he had an eye on the big picture, seeking out business opportunities.

"I began exporting marble (and) tiles to Norway after learning how to authenticate various specifications," he said recently at an event attended by visiting African journalists in Beijing.

Before taking the leap to exporting tiles, his first objective was assimilation: setting aside his traditional Ghanaian food, learning Mandarin and getting to know the locals. It paid off - he married his Chinese fianc��e a couple of years later, and she now helps run his company.

In 2004, Ketu climbed a few steps up the ladder, becoming his own boss after obtaining a license from the authorities to export tiles and building materials to Ghana.

The fast pace of imports and exports saw his business growing bigger at a time when China's booming tile factories were seeking new markets abroad.

Five years later, the Ghanaian successfully established Tianjin Able Import and Export Trading Co Ltd, which has offices in Tianjin and Beijing, more than 30 Chinese partners and an annual average turnover of $150 million. By the end of 2016, the company had exported more than $560 million worth of products, including tricycles, buses, sanitary equipment and various types of machinery, mostly to West Africa.

Ketu then began helping his compatriots to strengthen their business dealings with China as trade links grew stronger between Ghanaian importers and Chinese manufacturers.

"Most of the people in my country that I helped into the export business with China are now very rich," he says, adding that he has also helped several Chinese entrepreneurs invest in Ghana.

"We have done a lot, but I'm always looking for other opportunities, especially for Africans," he says. "We want to work with others because there are a lot of opportunities here in China for Africans to explore."

As he keeps an eye on the whole of Africa, aiming to deepen collaboration with other entrepreneurs and share his vast experience of Chinese manufacturers and products, he's aware of the challenges on both sides of the import-export trade chain and is already helping minimize the risks that traders experience.

The hurdles African entrepreneurs endure exporting products from China are sometimes compounded by the fear of being duped or receiving the goods with the wrong specifications, says Kwadwo Atuahene, trade attache at the Ghana embassy in Beijing.

Top Chinese manufacturers and government officials have warned African businesses against dealing with unrecognized companies.