SHANGHAI – This ancient Chinese city is on tenterhooks – racing against time to complete work for the Shanghai 2010 World Expo.

Massive construction and advertising around this city of 32 million people are a sure sign of what awaits exhibitors come next year when the world expo officially kicks off.

"We are on schedule, everything is going according to plan and as you may know, the Chinese people have what it takes in terms of work ethics, discipline and the drive to meet all odds," a junior official from the local Chinese Communist Party that runs the city of Shanghai told this reporter recently.

Chen Jintian from the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination is director of the African Pavilion Department. He says the joint African pavilion for the 2010 world expo, the largest pavilion with 43 units, is almost complete.

A total of 51 African countries including Namibia have confirmed their participation in the world expo where they will showcase their products.

Eight of the African countries plan to build their own pavilions while the remaining 43 will occupy the joint African pavilion that has been built at a cost of 8 billion Yuan. The eight are Egypt, Tunisia, South Africa, Nigeria, Libya, Morocco and Angola as well as the African Union (AU).

The Chinese government will fund African nations for basics such as design and construction of the joint pavilion and operations thereof, including accommodation and subsistence for basic staff not exceeding four officials.

Financial assistance will be in the form of payment for services and not cash.

According to an official release, the organizing committee has surpassed its objective of drawing 200 official participants.

A total of 192 countries and 48 organisations have so far registered for the Shanghai World Expo 2010. The theme of the expo is – Better City, Better Life. The expo will run from May 1 to October 3, 2010.

"Our preparations have been going on smoothly. In 2009, we will gradually shift our focus of work from attracting participants to operations," said Hong Hao, Director-General of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination.

The Shanghai expo site will have more than 90 pavilions in total. So far, more than 70 of them are being constructed. Among the 40 foreign self-built pavilions, 25 have officially started construction.

According to the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, despite the world financial crisis, the marketing of the expo is going on smoothly with no withdrawals by participants or sponsors.

Organizers hope to draw about 70 million visitors to the Shanghai expo. The site of the expo includes a 3.28 square kilometre centrepiece that will be restricted to ticket holders only. Total investment for construction projects on the site of the expo will reach 8 billion Yuan or U$2.63 billion.

The bureau says it believes that visitors to the Shanghai expo will experience the charms of a variety of modern architectures. Visitors are also expected to see exhibits in culture, science and technology and human development.

The world expo will be a festive gathering of different cultures hence the cultural exhibits are the highlights of the expo.

"During the 184-day Shanghai expo, over 100 cultural performances and activities will be held within the site everyday. The total number of such events will exceed 20 000. We expect Shanghai to become a cultural carnival for people from around the world," the official release says.

Similarly, visitors to the Shanghai expo are expected to sample state-of-the-art technologies.