Kenya's business lobby said on Thursday that the upcoming third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo that will open in Changsha, the capital of central China's Hunan Province, will be a way to boost their sales.

Eric Rutto, first vice president of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), told Xinhua in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi that the expo will be the first major exhibition that African traders can participate in a face-to-face format in China since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The expo will be ideal for the African business community because it will enable them to connect with the Chinese business community and develop profitable partnerships with mutual benefits," Rutto said.

He noted that the African business community could use the event, which will run from June 29 to July 2, to gather market intelligence about the requirements of Chinese consumers.

"China is a large and lucrative market, but Africa has not yet been able to export significant quantities of goods to the Asian market," he added.

Rutto encouraged more Kenyan and African traders and manufacturers to attend the trade show so as to meet Chinese suppliers.

"The key expectation is that Kenya will develop new markets for its products. Currently, Kenya's exports of goods to China are limited and are composed of few agricultural products as well as minerals. We want to utilize the event to boost our exports to China by introducing new Kenyan-made products to the Chinese market," he revealed.

According to the KNCCI, the trade fair is also likely to boost China-Africa cooperation, especially in the areas of education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

Rutto said the area that needs to be strengthened in the bilateral cooperation is the field of technology transfer.

"Africa can utilize Chinese technology to process its agricultural products. Currently, most of the continent's exports, such as agricultural (products) and minerals, are sold overseas as semi-processed products," he added.