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Third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo held in Changsha
By Yang Xun, Yan Ke, Shen Zhilin, People’s Daily
The 3rd China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo kicked off in Changsha, capital of central China’s Hunan province on June 29.
The four-day event, themed “Common Development for a Shared Future,” is expected to draw wide participation and build new momentums for China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.
At the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center, the main venue of the event, a number of featured commodities from Africa such as wine, coffee and handicrafts, as well as China’s engineering machinery, medical equipment, consumer goods and agricultural equipment, were exhibited. The exhibition area expanded by 30,000 square meters from the last session to 100,000 square meters.
The sub-venue of the event is at Changsha’s China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation, Promotion, and Innovation Demonstration Park. It gathers more exhibitors, purchasers and exhibits, and aims at building a permanent venue for China-Africa Economic and Trade.
Wasion Holdings Limited has been engaged in the African market for more than 20 years, during which it delivered over 5 million electric meters to African consumers. Last year, its revenue in Africa jumped 28.4 percent year on year.
This time, the company brought to the 3rd China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo a series of products and solutions that help improve the basic livelihood of African consumers, as well as its latest energy-storage system, said Lv Xinwei, vice president of the company.
“We set up an exhibition area of 200 square meters, and we are presenting two ‘star products’ developed for mining in Africa,” said Zhu Jianxin, vice general manager of Sunward, one of the leading underground engineering equipment enterprises in China.
According to him, Sunward invited its clients from West Africa and South Africa to Changsha for communication and contract signing, hoping to further reinforce its cooperation with African partners.
An exhibition section for African enterprises and commodities is joined by 300 African enterprises and numerous products from Africa, including essential oil from Madagascar, gems from Zambia, wood carvings from Zimbabwe and flowers from Kenya.
A Kenyan exhibitor named Anna told People’s Daily that she brought to the event Kenya’s tea products and wood carvings, which drew a number of potential customers. She believes that she will receive many orders this time.
To expand the imports of quality commodities from Africa, Hunan province launched an “African product brand bank” activity, which introduced 106 types of African products to the province’s markets.
Relying on the Hunan Gaoqiao Grand Market, the province is expanding its imports of coffee, nuts, dried chili, sesames, peanuts, and wood products, and facilitating the exports of small-sized agricultural machines, small-sized hardware, prepackaged food and consumer goods. It has completed the first transaction of prepackaged food under mart procurement.
Besides, Hunan province has also set up a China-Africa incubation center for livestream commerce, which is also known as Mango Live Stream. The incubation center hosts livestream activities to promote African products, and has reported total revenue of over 100 million yuan ($13.79 million).
On June 29, the China-Africa Trade Index was officially unveiled by the General Administration of Customs at the 3rd China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo. Taking the year of 2000 as the base period with a value of 100, the index has hit 990.55 in 2022 and keeps rising.
During the same period, China’s trade with Africa surged more than 20 times from less than 100 billion yuan to 1.88 trillion yuan, with an average annual growth of 17.7 percent. China has maintained the largest trading partner of Africa for 14 consecutive years. In the first five months this year, China’s trade with Africa stood at 822.32 billion yuan, up 16.4 percent.
Jiang Wei, an official with the Ministry of Commerce, said China-Africa trade features high complementarity, adding that it offers strong support for the two sides’ economic and social development and benefits both Chinese and African people.
As an important mechanism of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, and an important window for sub-regional economic and trade cooperation, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo is of vital significance for Hunan to promote high-level opening up and build a new development paradigm, Jiang remarked.
Apart from focusing on economy and trade, the expo also launched forums and seminars on traditional Chinese medicine cooperation and infrastructure. It for the first time held a trade negotiation over featured light industrial products and textile, an achievements exhibition of China-Africa cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and an achievements exhibition of innovations made by Chinese and African women. Eight guest countries of honor have set up stand-alone exhibitions to demonstrate their own features.
President of Malawi Lazarus Chakwera, who attended the opening ceremony of the 3rd China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, said that the expo has significantly strengthened Africa-China cooperation and brought more prosperity to relevant regions, and will bring Africa-China cooperation onto a new level.
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Hon. Hafiz Kawu Calls for Unity, Highlights Tinubu and Governor Yusuf’s Achievements in Kano
Hon. Hafiz Kawu, Honourable Commissioner at PENCOM, has urged APC supporters and faithfuls in Kano State to rally behind the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. Speaking live during a radio program in Kano, Hon. Kawu OON, MNI delivered a compelling message of reconciliation and renewed commitment to the ruling party’s vision for development.
In his remarks, Hon. Kawu emphasized the importance of President Tinubu’s administration to Kano’s progress, pointing to several landmark projects that have reshaped the state’s infrastructure and economic outlook. He cited the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway reconstruction and the dualization of the Kano–Kongolom Road as evidence of federal commitment to easing transportation and boosting trade. He also highlighted the modernization of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport and the approval of the Kano Light Rail project as transformative investments in transportation.
Hon. Kawu further pointed to the AKK Gas Pipeline as a strategic investment that will power industries, create jobs, and strengthen Kano’s role as a commercial hub. He noted that the appointments of Kano indigenes into key federal positions demonstrate the President’s recognition of Kano’s strategic importance in national politics.
Turning to state-level initiatives, Hon. Kawu praised Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s urban renewal and rural connectivity projects, including the construction of the Dan Agundi Interchange, the Tal’udu Cloverleaf Overpass, and the revival of 5KM roads across 44 local governments. He described these projects as complementary to federal efforts, ensuring that both urban and rural communities benefit from development.
Addressing internal party divisions, Hon. Kawu noted: “This is the time to set aside differences and return to the fold. The projects we see today are only the beginning of greater things to come under APC leadership. Unity is the key to victory, and victory is the key to sustaining development.”
His live radio broadcast blended detailed references to federal achievements under President Tinubu with state-level initiatives under Governor Yusuf, leaving listeners with a clear message: Kano’s future is tied to APC’s success, and every supporter has a role to play in securing that future.
As the broadcast concluded, Hon. Kawu emphasized that cohesion across the APC structure remains the decisive factor in the political contest ahead. He stressed that only a united APC — working seamlessly from the grassroots to the national stage — can secure victories across all levels of governance and sustain the momentum of development. His words positioned unity not as a plea, but as a strategic imperative for the party’s continued dominance and for the progress of Kano and Nigeria at large.
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Nigeria Is Not a Muslim Country — Rev Dachomo Counters Sheikh Jingir
The Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, has rejected comments by Islamic cleric, Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, that Nigeria is a Muslim country.
Jingir had reportedly made the remarks during a programme in Kano State over the weekend while expressing support for the continuation of a Muslim-Muslim political arrangement.
The cleric argued that Muslims constitute the majority in Nigeria and should therefore have the opportunity to lead the country. He also reportedly referred to Christians as infidels and suggested that Christians who were unhappy with the arrangement could leave the country.
Reacting in a statement on Tuesday, Dachomo strongly opposed the comments, insisting that Nigeria is a multi-religious nation and “is not and can never be a Muslim country.”
The COCIN chairman cautioned Jingir and other religious leaders against making statements capable of deepening religious divisions or creating hostility between Christians and Muslims.
Dachomo argued that political leadership should not be determined by religious numerical strength but by competence, justice, good governance and the ability to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians.
“Nigeria is a multi-religious country in which Muslims and Christians have historically participated in the political process and contributed to the development of the nation,” he said.
He urged religious leaders to exercise caution when commenting on political matters, particularly issues capable of affecting relations between religious communities.
According to him, linking political leadership to religious majority could create the impression that one faith has greater ownership of Nigeria than another.
“I urge religious leaders to be mindful of their public statements, particularly when discussing politics and issues capable of affecting relations between different religious communities,” Dachomo added.
News
Muslim-Muslim ticket: No regret over my statement – Sheikh Jingir
Islamic cleric and leader of the Izala Scholars Council, Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, has stood his ground over his Muslim-Muslim ticket comments and description of Christians as “infidels.”
Speaking in an interview with the BBC, Jingir said he had no regrets over his recent declaration of support for a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, despite the criticism trailing the statement.
He said his position was not politically motivated or intended to campaign for President Bola Tinubu, but was based on what he described as his responsibility as a Muslim.
According to the Islamic cleric, he would continue to support and encourage Muslims to back a Muslim-Muslim ticket, regardless of the criticism his position might attract.
“I have no regrets. I will continue to support and encourage the Muslim-Muslim ticket. What they say will not stop me. They started it; at a point, we suffered in their hands,” he alleged.
DAILY POST recalls that Jingir, during a mass wedding organised by the Kano State Government for 1,500 couples, declared his support for the Muslim-Muslim arrangement and urged Muslims to vote in a manner that would demonstrate their numerical strength in the country.
He further stated that, as a Muslim preacher, he had the right to advocate a political arrangement that was consistent with his religious convictions.
The cleric also challenged claims that Christians or other religious groups constituted a larger proportion of Nigeria’s population than Muslims.
His remarks have continued to generate reactions, with some commentators describing them as divisive, while others have defended his right to express his religious and political views.
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