“Hello Sweet!” Guangxi and Nigeria Deepen Sugar Industry Cooperation

On June 1st, the "Guangxi Connects Five Continents (Africa Station)" Guangxi-Nigeria Economic and Trade Cooperation Fair, with a strong focus on sugar industry collaboration, was successfully held in Nanning. This significant event was jointly organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Guangxi Committee and Nigeria's Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. John Owon Enoh, Minister of State for Industry at Nigeria's Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and Zheng Yuandong, Deputy Secretary-General of the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, attended and delivered keynote speeches. Representatives from both sides engaged in in-depth and productive discussions on critical areas such as sugarcane cultivation, sugar processing technology, industrial park planning and design, and the training of professional technical personnel. The aim was to propel economic and trade cooperation between Guangxi and Nigeria to deeper and broader levels. During the fair, delegates gained a comprehensive understanding of Guangxi's unique geographical advantages, robust industrial foundation, and the remarkable achievements in open development in recent years. Deputy Secretary-General Zheng Yuandong emphasized in his address that Nigeria is a crucial economic and trade partner for Guangxi in Africa. Both regions exhibit high complementarity and vast cooperation potential across various sectors, including agriculture, sugar, mining, and photovoltaic energy storage. He urged both parties to fully leverage China's zero-tariff preferential policy for Africa, strengthen industrial cooperation and economic exchanges, and use sugar industry collaboration as a vital link to further expand bilateral import and export trade. Practical cooperation in supply chain optimization and talent cultivation was also highlighted, aiming to jointly assist enterprises from both countries in expanding markets and achieving mutual benefits. John Owon Enoh, Minister of State for Industry at Nigeria's Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, stated that Nigeria possesses abundant agricultural resources and a strong market demand for sugar and agricultural product processing. He warmly welcomed advantageous enterprises from Guangxi to invest and operate in Nigeria, fostering extensive cooperation in sugarcane cultivation and processing, industrial park design and planning, technical equipment supply, and vocational training. Minister Enoh pledged that Nigeria would continuously optimize its business environment to provide strong support for bilateral cooperation. A grand cooperation signing ceremony also took place at the event. Nigerian enterprises signed cooperation agreements with China Light Industrial Nanning Design Engineering Co., Ltd. and Guangxi Industrial Vocational Technical College. Under these agreements, all parties will engage in deep cooperation across various aspects, including park design, industrial support, technical exchange, and talent cultivation. In the subsequent promotion and exchange session, representatives from COFCO Sugar Holding Co., Ltd., China Light Industrial Nanning Design Engineering Co., Ltd., and Guangxi Industrial Vocational Technical College introduced the advantages of Guangxi's entire sugar industry chain, light industry engineering service capabilities, and the internationalization features of vocational education, respectively. Nigeria's Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and related enterprises also provided detailed information on their country's investment policies, market demands, and potential cooperation projects. The fair also featured a dedicated government-enterprise matchmaking zone and enterprise exhibition area, facilitating multiple cooperation intentions between both sides in sugar processing, production capacity cooperation, and trade exchanges. In recent years, economic and trade cooperation between Guangxi and Nigeria has shown continuous growth and strong resilience. The successful hosting of this exchange fair not only further consolidated the foundation of bilateral economic and trade cooperation but also, with sugar industry collaboration as a highlight, effectively drove synergistic development across multiple sectors. This injects new and powerful impetus for Guangxi and Nigeria to jointly build the "Belt and Road" and achieve higher levels of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. During their visit to Guangxi, the Nigerian delegation also conducted in-depth visits and exchanges in Laibin City, the Guangxi-ASEAN Economic and Technological Development Zone, and Guangxi Industrial Vocational Technical College. Notably, "Guangxi Connects Five Continents" is an external exchange brand created by the CCPIT Guangxi Committee to promote Guangxi enterprises and products in expanding international cooperation under the "Belt and Road" initiative. To date, the brand has successfully hosted nearly 20 country-specific events, covering nations across five continents including Uzbekistan, Turkey, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Korea, Japan, Ethiopia, Brazil, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Belarus, effectively fostering practical cooperation between Chinese and foreign business communities.