Abuja to host 4th China Africa Economic and Trade Expo

By IKENNA EMEWU

All is set for the hosting of the fourth China Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) in the Nigerian capital city, Abuja.

The event is billed to start on November 28 and run for three days.

According to documents for the event in our possession, the event mainly handled by the Hunan Province of China alongside a retinue of Chinese economic and trade organisations will be hosted in Nigeria by the Federal Ministry of Industries, Trade and Investment in liaison with the secretariat of the CAETE and with a special focus on China Engineering Technology Exhibition.

Organisers of the exhibition deemed as the most successful China Africa related trade exhibition is championed by the Department of Commerce of the Hunan Province, Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, China International Contractors Association, China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Foreign Affairs Office of Hunan Province, and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Hunan Province.

Other partner organisations include the Department of Culture and Tourism of Hunan Province, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade of Hunan, and China General Chamber of Commerce in Nigeria, Abuja.

This time, the organisers target Nigeria, Africa's largest investment market and the continent's largest contracting market for China, hoping to replicate the success story of its three past events.

At the third outing hosted in Changsha City in China in 2023, the event witnessed the signing of 120 international business deals worth over USD10 billion with the participation of 1,700 exhibitors from China and African countries made up of companies, organisations, business and financial institutions, and many more.

The secretariat of CAETE said the hosting in Nigeria is in tandem with the actions for the implementation of the Dakar Action Plan of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) reached in 2021 and vigorously pursue the target of economic integration, development and enhancement between China and Africa.

The economic forum will also help expand the brand influence and reach of CAETE in Africa and Nigeria and ensure that the mandate of Chinese government and business groups in contributing to the economic advancement Africa through diverse approached is sustained, especially under the ideals of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Thousands of business exhibitors, manufacturers, service organisations in the fintech, industrial equipment and many more from both China, Nigeria and other African countries are expected at the three-day investment and trade event.

Editor's note: IKENNA EMEWU is Editor-in-Chief of Africa-China Economy Magazine, Nigeria.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Belt and Road Portal.