Chinese electronic enterprises plug into African market

NANCHANG, April 16 (Xinhua) -- In the showroom of Jiangxi Godfrey Technology Co., Ltd. in Ji'an, east China's Jiangxi Province, the chairman's assistant Immaculee Agbaka, from the Republic of Benin, is eagerly introducing the company's products to visitors.

Equipped with a business degree, she knows the needs of clients in every country and region like the back of her hand.

"We have four charger brands to meet the demand of different countries. Our air conditioner, though a new product, has sold well in Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is our car charger, which is convenient and well-liked in Africa," she said.

The company is mainly engaged in the production and overseas sales of digital products, with the Middle East and Africa as its main markets. After over a decade of rapid development, it has become a comprehensive foreign trade enterprise with more than 100 overseas employees.

The company initially could only sell two or three containers a month when it first entered markets in Africa and other regions. Today, a single distribution point can sell one or two hundred containers a month, and the total order volume increases by 10 to 15 percent every year, said Chen Wei, general manager of the company's overseas business department.

The rapid growth of foreign trade orders cannot be separated from the high quality and reasonable prices of made-in-China products, as well as the product research and development (R&D) and innovation tailored to overseas markets.

In her view, Chinese enterprises need to consider more than just the regulatory environment and the cultural differences in other countries and regions. They should also focus on customer requirements, R&D, packaging and other areas to export marketable items when doing business overseas.

"Sometimes, the specific requirements of customers are very detailed, and the packaging alone is very different. For example, the packaging of products for clients in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burkina Faso differs from that for customers in Nigeria, which explains one of the reasons why our products are popular in overseas markets," she said.

China has made immense progress in digitalization over the past decade. In 2022, China's digital economy reached 50.2 trillion yuan (about 6.93 trillion U.S. dollars), ranking second globally, accounting for 41.5 percent of the country's GDP.

The company has been able to develop international markets thanks to the support of initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative. "The Belt and Road Initiative gives us more opportunities to establish strategic partnerships and cooperation in the field of science and technology," she said.

"International cooperation is key to promoting the continuous development in the field of electronic science and technology and jointly addressing challenges, and I'm looking forward to China's digital products further entering the African market," she said.

Jinggangshan Showho is another Chinese intelligent electronics enterprise that has tapped into the African market.

The company started to explore the African market in 2021. Last year, this company witnessed a sales volume of over 3 million yuan in the African market. It plans to further explore African options, and aims to reach a sales volume of over 10 million yuan in Africa in 2024.

The African market pays very close attention to pricing when purchasing products. Based on overall market demand in Africa, the company selects products that are more suitable for the African market in a targeted manner, said Zhang Feng, the company's general manager.