In a significant boost to deepening China-Africa cooperation, the SOE Entrepreneur Opportunity Week, initiated by Benin’s SOE company and guided by the New Silk Road Academy, is set to launch from July 13 to 17, 2026.
Billed as West Africa’s most influential industry docking platform with a global outlook, the high-profile five-day gathering is expected to draw 1,200 formal delegates, including entrepreneurs, investment institutions, and government representatives from China and across Africa. The event’s reach extends to multiple European markets, underscoring its growing international stature.
Backed by multiple institutions and endorsed by official resources, the SOE Entrepreneur Opportunity Week serves as a key flagship window for China-Africa economic and trade collaboration. The program will feature an official opening ceremony, high-level theme forums, enterprise exhibitions, government-enterprise matchmaking sessions, and project signing ceremonies.
The event will spotlight seven priority sectors: catering and tourism, new energy, infrastructure, agriculture, beauty and cosmetics, logistics, and finance. More than 1,000 enterprises are expected to release specific cooperation needs, creating abundant opportunities for partnerships.
Organizers emphasize high-density, precision-matched business docking designed to facilitate immediate on-site negotiations, real-time exchanges, and rapid project implementation.
The SOE platform has already built a strong track record, having served more than 100 Chinese enterprises and over 1,000 African enterprises. It has become an important entry point for Chinese companies seeking to access Benin and the broader West African region.
“This Opportunity Week (July 13-17) will further open channels to the West African market and establish a new hub for China-Africa industrial cooperation,” event organizers stated. “It will enable Chinese enterprises to truly enter Africa’s core markets while allowing African resources to reach a wider international stage.”
Positioned as a strategic bridge, the SOE Entrepreneur Opportunity Week carries the theme: “Connecting China, Africa and the World – Opening the Strategic Door to West African Markets.”
The event is expected to generate substantial business outcomes and strengthen long-term economic ties between China and African nations.
