While the World Cup 2030 has yet to kick off, the construction of new football stadium in North Africa is already in full swing.

At the construction site of the new football stadium in Rabat, Morocco, a thousand-tonnage Zoomlion crawler crane precisely hoisted hundreds of tonnes of steel structures into place. After completing the early-stage installation of the main structure, this Hunan-made "giant" will move on to the Grand Stade Hassan II—the world's largest football stadium under construction.

Beneath the steel framework of the World Cup stadiums lies Hunan's ambition to expand its construction machinery industry in Africa. Changsha Customs data shows that in the first five months of this year, Hunan exported 17.3 billion CNY of construction machinery, up 20.1% year on year. Of this, exports to Africa reached 2.55 billion CNY, surging by 85.2%, far outpacing the overall growth rate.

How does Hunan construction machinery race ahead in Africa?

Demand-Driven—

Mining and Infrastructure Boom

The Simandou iron ore project in southeastern Guinea in West Africa is currently the world's largest and highest-quality undeveloped iron ore deposit. The mega project, with a total investment exceeding 20 billion USD, is supported by over 620 kilometers of cross-border heavy-haul railways and modern ports, demanding extremely high equipment availability and stability.

In late 2025, a batch of Zoomlion's large-tonnage construction cranes arrived here, fully engaging in the core infrastructure construction within the mining area.

The explosive growth in demand for construction machinery in Africa is primarily driven by mining. Since 2025, iron ore and bauxite projects in Guinea, lithium mines in Mali, and iron ore projects in Nigeria have been launched intensively, fueling demand for equipment across the entire chain of open-pit mining, ore loading and unloading, and short-distance transport. Taking excavators as an example, approximately 75% of Africa's demand comes from non-ferrous and precious metals mining such as copper, gold, and lithium. Changsha Customs data shows that in the first five months, Hunan's construction machinery exports to Mali reached 270 million CNY, rising 171.9%, and exports to Guinea hit 220 million CNY, up 179.7%.

Infrastructure construction projects represent another major growth engine. Africa is currently undergoing the fastest urbanization process globally. According to the African Union, the proportion of urban population in Africa is expected to rise to 50% by 2030. The dramatic increase in urban population brings huge demand for housing, public transport, and urban facilities. As over 90% of construction equipment is imported, demand for equipment renewal is robust.

This demand is directly reflected in Hunan's export structure. In the first five months, Hunan exported 4.63 billion CNY of earthmoving machinery including excavators, loaders, and rollers, with an increase of 42.2%, and exported freight vehicles worth 490 million CNY, surging 70.8%.

Supply-Side Breakthroughs—

Strong Competitiveness Drive Market Leadership

The KHL Group in the UK recently released its Yellow Table 2026, listing the top 50 global construction machinery manufacturers. Thirteen Chinese enterprises made the list, with five located in Hunan—SANY Heavy Industry, Zoomlion Heavy Industry, China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation (CRCHI), Sunward Intelligent Equipment, and Sinoboom Intelligent Equipment.

To win the trust of African clients, Hunan's construction machinery enterprises are not only "selling products" but also "providing scenario-based solutions."

African mining areas and construction sites often face challenges like high temperatures and heavy dust. Areas with weak infrastructure are mostly served by unpaved roads and inconsistent fuel quality, imposing rigorous demands on the performance of construction machinery.

Based on a deep understanding of these challenges, Hunan enterprises have made targeted modifications to their products. SANY's equipment not only boasts strong capacity for continuous operation but also lowers operating costs through intelligent energy-saving technology, addressing the relatively unstable power supply in Africa. Zoomlion's customized products cover multiple categories, including earthmoving, lifting, and agricultural machinery, highlighting multi-functionality in a single machine and offering suitable solutions to various projects from small farms to large-scale infrastructure.

Cost-effectiveness is another "trump card." Compared to European and American brands, Hunan construction machinery offers solid core performance with greater affordability. For budget-conscious African clients, this is particularly attractive.

From Rabat Stadium for the 2030 World Cup in Morocco, Bishoftu International Airport—the largest airport in Africa, to the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya, and the Tanzania Central SGR... a number of landmark projects in Africa have become powerful calling cards for "Made in Hunan."

Taking Root and Thriving—

From Event-Based Exhibitions to Ecosystem Building

How can short-term export dividends be transformed into long-term market engagement? Xiao Hao, executive deputy director of the Institute of Africa Research, Hunan University, pointed out that enterprises should build sustainable commercial ecosystems in Africa through exhibitions and deep local engagement.

In this June, the 2026 Changsha International Construction Equipment Exhibition (CICEE) — Africa Edition was held in Nairobi, Kenya. Over 1,300 professional buyers attended, with a total contract value amounting to 189.4 million USD and the business network reaching 15 African countries. That same month, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Africa (Morocco) took place in Casablanca, enabling direct matchmaking between Hunan construction machinery enterprises and Moroccan local businesses.

"Exhibitions are not just product display platforms but also efficient channels for transmitting the advantages of industrial clusters," said Xiao Hao. He noted that enterprises can convert exhibition visitor flows into tangible trade gains through precise supply-demand matching. Moreover, they can move the matchmaking platform directly to the doorstep of African businesses, reducing their customer acquisition costs and improving matching efficiency.

It's not just about selling—it's about staying.

Currently, Hunan construction machinery enterprises have established comprehensive localized service systems in Africa. By setting up subsidiaries, service stations, and warehouses locally, they have built localized after-sales, repair, and parts supply systems to respond swiftly to customer needs and resolve the core pain points of overseas clients in equipment operation and maintenance.

For example, SANY Group has established an industrial park and central warehouse in South Africa, not only ensuring parts supply to clients but also providing technical training for local service personnel. Currently, about 90% of the employees in the industrial park are local.

At present, leveraging the Hunan Pilot Free Trade Zone to advance institutional innovation and leveraging the zero-tariff policy benefits for African countries, the Pioneering Zone for In-depth China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation provides enterprises with a package of services covering customs clearance, payment settlement, and legal affairs.

"The government should build public platforms in areas such as mutual recognition of standards and co-construction of after-sales service networks, to avoid isolated efforts and redundant construction by enterprises," Xiao Hao suggested. Public services at the government level can unite scattered forces into a united drive, building a collective brand strength of Hunan construction machinery in Africa.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn