The project, which includes a 62,000-seat stadium and facilities such as outdoor venues and surrounding roads in the northern out-skirts of Brazzaville, is valued at $441 million.

Wang Jiayi, the project's field manager, said that project design in Africa is more challenging than in China.

Taking a weekend off has become a luxury for the team's architects and engineers because of the heavy workload, and they work under a totally different system of construction standards.

"Our team cannot apply Chinese standards to build stadiums here. Every detail needs to be run by our Congolese clients and their French supervision company, the project's third party invited by the Congolese government," said Wang.

Despite the challenges, the Chinese company aims to invest more in Africa to turn the continent into its biggest market over the next decade.

The games project is CCDI's first in Africa, and quality is essential in a new market where price is still a sensitive issue. Wang said the company aims to win more bids in Algeria, Cameroon and South Africa, as it believes that its local sales and technology support networks, competitive prices and technology will help it gain contracts.

Companies will need help from the Chinese government.

"The government will move faster to build a system for providing financial services for outward investment, expanding the channels for using foreign exchange reserves and providing better financial, information and legal services as well as consular protection for Chinese enterprises investing overseas," said Shen Dan-yang, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce.