China-Africa Trade Surges as Africa Seeks Value-Chain Upgrading

Two‑way trade between China and Africa reached $203.5 billion in the first half of 2026, a 24 % year‑on‑year increase. Chinese exports to the continent rose 26.2 % to $130 billion, while African exports grew 20.3 % to $73.5 billion, widening Africa’s trade deficit with China to about $56 billion. The growth follows China’s extension of duty‑free access to all African countries on May 1 2026, but the deficit persists because African shipments remain dominated by low‑value raw commodities such as minerals and agricultural products, whereas Chinese exports consist mainly of higher‑value manufactured goods.

At the same time, governments in Ghana, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are actively promoting local beneficiation—refining, smelting and processing of minerals—to move the continent up the value chain. These nations aim to keep more of the economic benefits of lithium, uranium, rare‑earths and other critical minerals within Africa, challenging the traditional “pit‑to‑port” model and prompting a reassessment by Chinese and Western investors of how and where they finance processing facilities, logistics and workforce training.