Expo-goers visit Jiangsu Jinshang New Energy Technology's booth at the Power and Energy Africa 2026 exhibition. [Photo/Wuxi Daily]
A six-company delegation from Wuxi, Jiangsu province, has returned from the Power and Energy Africa 2026 exhibition in Nairobi, Kenya, last month with letters of intent worth more than $10 million, according to the Wuxi Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
During the three-day event, the Wuxi pavilion drew nearly 700 professional visitors, and the total value of the intended agreements accounted for about one-third of the provincial delegation's overall turnover.
The companies showcased a broad range of products, including high- and low-voltage power cables and anti-corrosion valves for water treatment, all sourced from Wuxi's well-established energy and environmental protection industrial cluster.
For Jiangsu Jinshang New Energy Technology, whose focus had been on the European market, the Kenyan fair proved an unexpected breakthrough. The company engaged with 150 professional buyers and reached preliminary consensus with 70 of them, said Lou Yan, the firm's deputy general manager.
"The African market is price-sensitive and values practicality," Lou said. "Products with strong cost performance have great potential here." The company has already started adjusting its production lines, shifting from high-power models to smaller units better suited to local demand. It plans to visit Morocco next month as it continues to expand its presence in Africa.
East African countries are making an aggressive push for energy independence, fueling sustained demand for grid upgrades, distributed solar systems, and urban water supply and sewage treatment infrastructure. With limited local manufacturing capacity, much of this equipment must be imported.
Wuxi exporters are moving quickly to capture the opportunity. Data from Wuxi Customs show that in the first half of the year, the city's imports and exports with Africa reached 18.6 billion yuan ($2.75 billion), up 40.7 percent from the same period last year, with exports surging 61.8 percent to 13.9 billion yuan.
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