On June 1, 2026, the “Guangxi Embraces Five Continents (Africa)” Guangxi-Nigeria Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference was held in Nanning, with a focus on sugar industry cooperation.  Zheng Yuandong，Deputy Secretary-General of the People's Government of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region attended and addressed the Conference together with John Owan Enoh, Minister of State for Industry, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment of Nigeria. The two sides held in-depth discussions on sugarcane cultivation and processing, industrial park planning and design, and professional and technical personnel training, aiming to deepen and solidify economic and trade ties between Guangxi and Nigeria.

At the Conference, attendees gained a comprehensive understanding of Guangxi’s geographical advantages, industrial foundations, and achievements in opening up and development. In his address, Deputy Secretary-General Zheng Yuandong noted that Nigeria is a key economic and trade partner for Guangxi in Africa, stressing that the two sides share strong complementarities and vast room for cooperation in agriculture, sugar, mining, and PV energy storage. The official called for fully leveraging China’s zero-tariff policy for Africa to bolster industrial cooperation and economic and trade exchanges. Using sugar cooperation as a bridge, the two sides can expand bilateral trade and pursue practical cooperation in industrial chains, supply chains, and talent training, helping enterprises expand markets for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

Minister Enoh stated that Nigeria, rich in agricultural resources, has a strong market demand for sugar production and agricultural processing. He welcomed capable enterprises from Guangxi to invest in Nigeria’s sugarcane cultivation and processing, industrial park design and planning, technical equipment, and vocational training, adding that Nigeria will continue to optimize its business environment to support bilateral cooperation.

At the signing ceremony, Nigerian companies signed cooperation agreements with China Light Industry Nanning Design Engineering Co., Ltd. and Guangxi Vocational & Technical Institute of Industry to deepen cooperation in industrial park design, industrial supporting facilities, technical exchanges, and talent training.

During the promotion and exchange session, representatives from COFCO Sugar Holding Co., Ltd., China Light Industry Nanning Design Engineering Co., Ltd., and Guangxi Vocational & Technical Institute of Industry gave presentations in turn, highlighting Guangxi’s full-chain advantages in the sugar industry, its light industry engineering service ability, and the international features of its vocational education. Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and relevant enterprises also introduced their investment policies, market demands, and cooperation projects.

The Conference featured a dedicated government-enterprise matchmaking zone, where the two sides reached multiple preliminary cooperation agreements in sugar processing, capacity cooperation, and bilateral trade.

In recent years, economic and trade cooperation between Guangxi and Nigeria has maintained strong momentum and yielded fruitful results. Bilateral trade has witnessed rapid growth for consecutive years, demonstrating strong resilience and potential. This Conference has further solidified the foundation of economic and trade cooperation between the two sides. With sugar cooperation as a highlight, it has driven multi-sector development and injected new impetus into bilateral cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and common pursuit for higher-level mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

During their stay in Guangxi, the Nigerian delegation visited Laibin City, Guangxi-ASEAN Economic and Technological Development Zone, and Guangxi Vocational & Technical Institute of Industry for field studies and exchanges.

“Guangxi Embraces Five Continents” is a foreign exchange brand built by China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Guangxi Committee to help Guangxi enterprises and products expand BRI cooperation. To date, it has organized nearly 20 special events across five continents, involving Uzbekistan, Türkiye, New Zealand, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Japan, Ethiopia, Brazil, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Belarus, effectively facilitating practical cooperation between Chinese and foreign business communities.