Africa has increasingly positioned itself as a key frontier for China-Africa trade as shifting global supply chains, geopolitical tensions and changing shipping patterns redirect cargo flows toward the continent.

Industry leaders noted that rising consumer demand, industrial growth and expanding infrastructure across the continent are creating fresh opportunities for Chinese exports, logistics investments and industrial cooperation.

Speaking during the 2026 Africa CEO Forum 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda, executives and policy makers underlined the rising trend of Africa's global trade.

The world's largest container shipping firm, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company executive said Africa recorded the fastest growth in cargo volumes from Asia in 2025, partly driven by the diversion of shipments that would traditionally have gone to the US.

Nicolas Sartini, senior vice-president for business development at MSC said trade flows from Asia to Africa surged by 27 percent last year, making the continent the fastest-growing destination for Asian exports globally.

"The volumes from Asia to Africa realized a huge increase. It's never been seen before," Sartini said.

The company that controls more than 21 percent of global container fleet capacity and operating nearly 1,000 vessels attributed the growth to several factors, including improving currencies in countries such as Ghana and Algeria.

"It is a coincidence that last year there was one million Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit, or TEU, less shipped from Asia to the US and one million TEU more sent to Africa," he said.

He noted that ports such as Abidjan, Lomé and Kribi had demonstrated the ability to handle larger vessels that previously operated on trans-Pacific routes.

Martijn van Dongen, global head of investment at APM Terminals, said Africa's ability to capitalize on the changing trade environment will depend heavily on infrastructure development and integrated logistics systems.

He pointed out that countries with more advanced logistics ecosystems were already seeing stronger industrial and investment growth.

"We can see huge differences between various countries in Africa in terms of how advanced they are," he said.

Van Dongen pointed to projects in Tanzania and other African trade corridors as examples of how long-term investments in ports, railways and logistics infrastructure can stimulate economic transformation.

Alexia Latortue, head of the secretariat at the Future of Development Cooperation Coalition and former assistant secretary for international trade and development at the US Treasury, said the evolving global trade landscape presents Africa with a rare opportunity to strengthen industrialization and move up the value chain.