Release Date: 2026-05-09 10:08  Views: 94

The production workshop of Ningbo C.S.I. Power & Machinery Group is humming with activity. All production lines are running at full capacity, with high-power generating units tailored for the African market taking shape one after another. In the shipping zone outside the workshop, dozens of finished generator sets stand ready for delivery. Staff members carry out packaging, hoisting and customs declaration in orderly fashion.

The company is overwhelmed with orders from Africa. Batches of customized power equipment are shipped to Nigeria, Chad, Guinea and other countries, delivering Chinese power for local industrial growth and infrastructure construction. The enterprise is now riding the wave of the new zero-tariff policy.

Starting May 1, China implemented full zero-tariff treatment for imports from 53 African diplomatic countries, lifting China-Africa economic and trade cooperation to a new stage of opening-up. For CSI Power, which has been cultivating the African market for 27 years, this brings unprecedented new opportunities.

Wu Jie from CSI Power (left) established a strategic partnership with Li Xiaofeng, head of the Li Group, the largest Chinese enterprise in West Africa, during their meeting in Nigeria.

The core objective of the zero-tariff policy is to cut costs for African agricultural and mineral exports to China, helping African nations expand exports, improve foreign exchange earnings and people’s livelihoods, thereby driving up industrial and power demand. Although the policy does not directly reduce export tariffs on Chinese goods, it creates broader room for growth for enterprises rooted in Africa such as CSI Power.

Since entering Africa in 1999, CSI Power has targeted the severe power shortage across West Africa. It has developed generating units that run on local heavy oil to fit the energy structure of Nigeria and neighboring nations. Compared with European and American equipment, its units can slash customers’ electricity costs by two thirds. Thanks to strong compatibility and cost performance, the products have gradually replaced Western generators and gained wide application in factories, mines and ports.

Project: Jogana 17×1MW Heavy Oil Power Station built by CSI Power in Nigeria

The zero-tariff policy has accelerated Africa’s industrialization and pushed up demand for power equipment. In the first two months of this year, the company’s shipments to Africa rose by 49% year on year, with orders covering multiple countries and power station projects advancing faster than ever. Up to now, CSI Power has completed more than 360 onshore power stations across Africa, and overseas revenue accounts for over half of its total business. It ranks first among Chinese medium-speed engine manufacturers in the number of overseas power plant projects.

The zero-tariff policy brings three major benefits: market expansion, industrial upgrading and smoother two-way circulation. Duty-free imports of African resources lower raw material costs and strengthen product competitiveness. Rising foreign exchange revenue and faster industrialization in Africa fuel demand for power stations and energy equipment. Meanwhile, locally manufactured equipment can be shipped back to China tariff-free, forming a complete industrial chain: resource import → smart manufacturing → overseas project delivery → capacity reflow.

In Nigeria, CSI Power has built dual-fuel power stations adapted to local energy conditions. In Chad, it supplied dedicated heavy oil generating units for cement plants to ease power shortages. In Guinea, it has undertaken power station projects and delivered one-stop services. Today, CSI Power exports not only machinery but also technologies and industrial standards. It keeps strengthening local operation, upgrading dual-fuel technology and organizing on-site training. The company has successfully shifted from merely selling products to providing comprehensive energy solutions.

Wu Jie, Chairman of Ningbo C.S.I. Power & Machinery Group, pointed out that amid complex geopolitical situations, enterprises should press ahead with both going global and importing overseas resources. The zero-tariff policy demonstrates China’s commitment to openness and win-win cooperation and underpins industrial complementarity between China and Africa. Africa has a young population, rapid urbanization and robust industrial demand, creating huge market potential for power equipment. This is a golden window for CSI Power to expand its business.

From single-product exports to full industrial chain layout, from short-term trading to long-term local operation, CSI Power relies on energy equipment and localized power station construction. Driven by policy dividends including market expansion, industrial upgrading and two-way trade, the company keeps securing new orders. It has become a typical model of Jiangbei manufacturing supporting Africa’s industrialization and a standout local enterprise seizing opportunities in China-Africa trade.

Going forward, CSI Power will fully capitalize on zero-tariff benefits, deepen technological innovation and localized operation. It will support African infrastructure and industrialization with high-quality power equipment, optimize its global industrial layout, and further explore the African market to contribute to high-quality China-Africa trade and the global expansion of Ningbo-made products.

Source: New Jiangbei