This photo taken on May 27, 2025 shows workers checking cocoa processing equipment at the cocoa processing complex in the PK24 Industrial Park on the northwestern outskirts of Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)
BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) -- China-Africa trade has kept growing in recent years. In 2024, trade between China and African countries increased 4.8 percent year on year to reach more than 295.56 billion U.S. dollars. This set a new record and marked China's 16th consecutive year as Africa's largest trading partner.
Today, Chinese and African enterprises are deepening cooperation across entire industrial chains, following the 10 partnership action plans unveiled last year, which aim to advance Africa's modernization. Such cooperation is transforming and upgrading China-Africa partnership while boosting Africa's sustainable economic development.
-- Propelling local production
In Côte d'Ivoire, trucks loaded with cocoa beans lined up for kilometers at the PK24 Industrial Park in the northwest of Abidjan, the country's economic hub. Inside a silver-gray plant, Chinese engineers and Ivorian workers adjusted conveyor equipment, with the rich aroma of roasted beans filling the air.
Built by China Light Industry Nanning Design Engineering Co., Ltd., this plant is Côte d'Ivoire's first state-owned modern cocoa processing facility. Covering about 21 hectares, it can process 50,000 tonnes of cocoa annually, with a storage capacity of 140,000 tonnes. When fully running, it'll become a training base for local cocoa industry.
"We're finally processing cocoa on our own land," said cocoa grower Ettien Kouakou Camille. "In the past, cocoa was exported without being processed. Now, Chinese companies are helping us change that."
Speaking about China-Côte d'Ivoire agricultural cooperation, Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, minister of state and minister of agriculture and rural development of Côte d'Ivoire, noted that China's agricultural development experience is vital for Africa, and Chinese enterprises don't just build factories, they bring solutions to upgrade Africa's industrial chains.
In the Nyagatare District of Rwanda's Eastern Province, chili fields managed by Gashora Farm PLC glow under intense sunlight. These chilies have been showcased at both the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) and the first China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE).
Dieudonne Twahirwa, managing director of Gashora Farm PLC, said that to meet massive Chinese market demand, the company signed an agreement with China-based Hunan Modern Agriculture International Development Co., Ltd. in 2024 to expand production, with plans to build cold storage, drying facilities, and increase planting area.
This partnership reflects deepening China-Africa industrial cooperation where trade and investment fuel each other. To date, China has established capacity cooperation mechanisms with 15 African countries, and Chinese enterprises have participated in the planning, construction, and operation of over 50 industrial parks in Africa, attracting worldwide investment to the continent.
For Africa, China is not only a significant trading partner, but also a key supporter for industrial capacity cooperation and technology upgrading, said Humphrey Moshi, director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
-- Growing local talents
Quality talents are essential for industrial growth, making skills training a priority in China-Africa cooperation. Through vocational education programs, China is helping Africa develop workers capable of independent production and processing.
People work in a workshop of China's Inner Mongolia King Deer Cashmere Group on the southern outskirts of Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo, March 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Yahui)
In five modern factories south of Madagascar's Antananarivo, over 3,000 local workers transform premium cashmere yarn from north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region into export-ready products. The scene represents daily operation at the Madagascar processing plant of Inner Mongolia King Deer Cashmere Group (King Deer).
Rivoherimanitra Niaina Rado, who is 50 years old and has worked at King Deer for nearly two decades, said "I started as a trainee and now became a foreman ... What I'm proud of is helping bring advanced technology to Madagascar."
As Chinese enterprises expand rapidly across Africa in recent years, demand for skilled workers has surged. Major vocational initiatives represented by the Luban Workshop have therefore taken root in many African countries, promoting market-oriented and industry-focused education across the continent.
Chinese enterprises have made investment and long-term engagement in Africa. They have not only created jobs, but also significantly improved local technical capabilities. These efforts build a skilled workforce foundation for Africa's sustainable development, said Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar.
-- Helping open global markets
China-Africa industrial cooperation also helps African products reach global markets through various platforms and mechanisms.
Chinese-founded online retail platform Kilimall leads e-commerce in East Africa. In Kenya, Nairobi merchant Hoswell Macharia sells TVs produced locally by Chinese enterprises through this platform, achieving annual sales of 96 million Kenyan shillings (about 745,000 U.S. dollars).
Most TVs sold by Macharia come from Chinese manufacturer Vtron, which operates a TV production line in Nairobi. "About 40 percent of our components are locally produced," said Vtron's Executive Director Hu Zhaoyang. "We'll further increase localization based on market demand."
As more Chinese enterprises invest and produce in Africa, local merchants have access to more quality and affordable products, benefiting consumers too, noted Wu Mixiang, vice president of Kilimall.
Beyond local e-commerce platforms, Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms like Shein and Temu are actively entering Africa, bringing more African enterprises with Chinese technology and product resources to share the dividends of the global digital economy.
China continues opening wider to Africa. Since December 1 of last year, the country has granted zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of product categories to all least developed countries that have established diplomatic relations with China, including 33 African countries. Meanwhile, China has utilized platforms such as the CAETE, the CIIE, and the China Import and Export Fair to help African enterprises enter the Chinese market and connect with global resources.
At the Kenya promotion session of the CAETE held this April, avocado exporter Newton Ngure stated "the Chinese market really has an appetite for Kenyan products ... We are working with various stakeholders to consolidate consignments for Hass avocado sourced countrywide."
China-Africa industrial cooperation has been expanding, from infrastructure to talent training, production to global sales. Through concrete actions, China helps Africa build self-sustaining economies and move beyond resources exports toward shared value creation.
(Edited by Su Dan with Xinhua Silk Road, sudan@xinhua.org)
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