China-Africa trade is growing rapidly. Grey wants to build the rails for it

By the end of 2026, trade between China and Africa is expected to exceed $400 billion. In the first half of the year alone, $203.5 billion worth of transactions flowed through the China-Africa trade corridor.

While an estimated 60% of that trade is directly tied to governments and state-backed entities, the remainder flows between businesses. 

But behind the headline trade figures is a growing network of African businesses and individuals buying inventory, machinery, electronics, textiles and manufacturing inputs from Chinese suppliers.