More than 100 government officials, healthcare experts, and business leaders from China, Ghana, Guinea, and other West African nations gathered in Changsha’s Xiangjiang New Area for the “2025 West Africa Healthcare Market Development Opportunities Exchange and Economic & Trade Cooperation Matchmaking Conference — Hunan Enterprises Going Global Special Session.”
The event, guided by the Hunan Provincial Department of Commerce and jointly organized by several provincial and regional institutions along with the Health Community of West Africa Association (HCOWA), aimed to deepen cooperation between Hunan’s medical industry and the rapidly expanding West African healthcare market.
Peng Zheng, Executive President and Secretary-General of the Hunan China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Promotion Research Association, said healthcare collaboration remains a vital component of China-Africa engagement. He emphasized that the association will continue building professional platforms and organizing regular matchmaking activities to help more Hunan healthcare enterprises expand into Africa.
Tan Tian of the Xiangjiang New Area Management Committee stated that the region will leverage its mature industrial ecosystem and supportive policy environment to strengthen exchange platforms and promote mutually beneficial cooperation between Hunan and West African medical enterprises.
HCOWA President Jiang Sihong highlighted the association’s growing impact in the region. She noted that HCOWA has successfully hosted two editions of the China–West Africa Healthcare Industry Expo, creating a “green channel” for over 50 Hunan enterprises entering West Africa. Preparations for the 2026 expo, she added, are in full progress and will further expand cooperation opportunities.
During thematic presentations, industry representatives underscored the scale of demand in West Africa. Pi Zhiren of Hunan West Africa Medical Union described the region’s healthcare needs as sharply exceeding available resources, calling the current period a “golden window” for Hunan enterprises to enter the market.
HCOWA Vice President Prince Opoku Dogbey reported that the 2025 West Africa Healthcare Expo attracted over 100 Chinese companies, led to 12 cooperation agreements, and generated more than $30 million in transactions. The 2026 edition will introduce dedicated zones for AI-driven healthcare and traditional medicine matchmaking.
The conference concluded with a high-energy closed-door matchmaking session. Eighteen enterprises signed commitments to participate in the 2026 West Africa Healthcare Expo, initiating further discussions on export channels and project cooperation.
Organizers say the event has created a fast and direct pathway for Hunan companies to tap into the West African market, marking a shift from cooperation “intentions” to “practical outcomes.” The strengthened partnership is expected to improve access to medical technologies and services for more than 400 million people across 16 West African countries.
