对非贸易增长23.7%，非洲成中国外贸黑马！

The data released by the General Administration of Customs on April 14th undoubtedly dropped a "depth bomb" on the foreign trade circle in 2026 — in the first quarter, China's imports and exports to Africa reached 646.56 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 23.7%, making it the most eye-catching performance among all emerging markets!

Comparing the growth rates of other key markets highlights Africa's momentum even more: imports and exports to  ASEAN and Latin America both rose by 15.4%, and those to the EU grew by 14.6%. In contrast, Africa's 23.7% growth rate is far ahead, becoming the core engine of China's foreign trade growth.

More importantly, this growth is not driven by a single category but by an all-round surge in demand: intermediate goods increased by 23.3%, capital goods by 43.5%, and consumer goods by 25%. From factory equipment to daily necessities for residents, demand in the African market is booming across the board. For astute foreign trade practitioners, Africa in 2026 has long evolved from an "optional market" to a "must-have" that cannot be missed.

Africa is in a period of rapid development, with strong demand in all areas of production and consumption. This growth is not concentrated in a few countries but presents a trend of global diffusion. In 2025, the number of African countries with positive growth in China's exports reached as many as 50. 

Among them, Côte d'Ivoire (+48%), Nigeria (+32.5%), Tanzania (+29.6%), DRC (+18.3%), Kenya (+17.9%), and Ghana (+16.9%). Many countries have maintained high-speed growth, and their market potential continues to be released.

In terms of product structure, China's exports to Africa are mainly concentrated in:

China has remained Africa's largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years. As the trade volume continues to hit record highs, this leading advantage has been transformed into an irreversible supply chain inertia, laying a solid foundation for foreign trade enterprises to go global in Africa.

Research institutions predict that from 2025 to 2030, the African market size will grow from 2.5 trillion US dollars to 3.8 trillion US dollars, with a compound annual growth rate of about 8.6%. In the context of the global economic slowdown, it has become a key track for foreign trade enterprises to break through.

The zero-tariff policy directly eliminates tariffs on African agricultural products, minerals and specialty goods entering China, enabling enterprises to enjoy more favorable procurement prices and more flexible end pricing. Especially for products such as coffee, tea, fruits, nuts and minerals, the original tariffs of 6%–25% are fully removed, simultaneously enhancing the competitiveness and profit margins of importing enterprises.

Currently, Africa's urbanization rate is about 45% and is rising rapidly every year. A large number of rural population moving to cities has driven a surge in demand for building materials, power equipment, home decoration and other products; at the same time, local manufacturing is weak, and everything from parts to equipment is highly dependent on imports. China's cost-effective goods have become the first choice for local procurement.

Africa has skipped the fixed-line telephone and PC Internet stages and directly entered the mobile Internet era, with more than 600 million mobile broadband users and popular mobile payment in many countries. Mature cross-border e-commerce, live streaming e-commerce and intelligent logistics models from China can be directly copied and implemented. It is estimated that the size of Africa's e-commerce market will exceed 75 billion US dollars in 2027, opening up new growth space for China's foreign trade.

Faced with the current situation of fierce competition in traditional foreign trade markets, Africa, with its characteristics of high growth rate, strong rigid demand and low competition, continues to undertake China's production capacity output and has become a key dark horse track for China's foreign trade to expand volume and increase income. To seize this wave of overseas opportunities, opening up the logistics link is the key — professional and reliable logistics can add momentum to your overseas business, enabling Chinese goods to reach the African market efficiently and easily seize the 100-billion-dollar opportunity.

CHOICE Supply Chain Technology Co, Ltd . was establishedin 1997 and has 29 years of experience in Africa&Middle-east logistics. We have already established more than 10 wholly-owned branches in Africa&Midle East, namely Kenya, Rwanda, DRC, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire，Tanzania， Saudi Arabia, Dubai. CHOICE can provide Groupage Service,Full Container Service,Overseas Warehouse Service for our customers. If you have freight transportation needs, welcome to contact us. Tel: 400-613-8844.