Lagos, Nigeria - February 24, 2025 The 137th Canton Fair Promotion Seminar was held on Monday in Lagos, a commercial hub Nigeria, with a focus on encouraging local businesses to attend the biannual event and discussing how they can work together to maximize benefits from the trade with China. The 137th Canton Fair, officially known as the 137th China Import and Export Fair, is scheduled to open on April 15, 2025 in Guangzhou, capital city of south China's Guangdong Province. Thousands of Nigerian companies have taken part in the Canton Fair over the years. This year's edition is expected to once again draw a significant number of participants, including some of the country's top producers. Nigeria is China's third largest trade partner in Africa. Statistics from the Chinese government showed that the trade volume between the two countries in 2024 exceeded 20 billion U.S. dollars. Officials say the structure of bilateral trade has continued to grow, and the Canton Fair has been a vital facilitator of that growth. Nigeria has been a regular feature at the Canton Fair, with a sizable number of Nigerian companies and entrepreneurs taking part in the event to make business deals and put made-in-Nigeria products on the global stage while trying to make an inroad into the vast Chines market. Shotlist: Lagos, Nigeria - Feb 24, 2025: 1. Various of 137th Canton Fair Promotion Seminar in progress, participants; 2. Various of guests on stage; 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Jin Mingyu, deputy consul general, Consulate-General of China in Lagos (partially overlaid with shots 4-5): "Established in 1957, the Canton Fair is the largest and the most influential international trade event in China. Renowned worldwide as China's number one fair, it serves not only as an important gateway for Chinese enterprises to enter the global market, but also as a prime platform for international businesses to explore opportunities in China. We warmly welcome more Nigerian entrepreneurs to attend the Canton Fair, discover business opportunities, expand their markets, and achieve success."; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - Date Unknown 4. Various of people at Canton Fair; Lagos, Nigeria - Feb 24, 2025 5. Various of participants at promotion seminar; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 6. Various of promotion seminar in progress, participants; 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Francis Mashioye, president, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (partially overlaid with shot 8/ending with shot 9): "The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, has great expectations that engagement and collaboration with the China Trade Center will be focused on breaking the bilateral trade deficit of about 18 billion dollars to the promotion of manufactured exports. As a leading industrial association in Africa, MAN's objective in this trade fair is to engage in insightful discussions and strong partnership that improves existing trade relations, discover new areas of synergy, seek trade assistance and services that can benefit both nations. We are particularly interested in exploring opportunities for financing options, technology transfer, capacity building, joint ventures, logistic support, infrastructure development, and regulatory frameworks that can enhance our competitiveness there in the global markets."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 8. Various of participants at promotion seminar; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - Date Unknown 9. Various of people at Canton Fair; 10. Chinese exhibitor introducing products to foreign buyer; 11. Various of machinery on display operating; Lagos, Nigeria - Feb 24, 2025 12. SOUNDBITE (English) Akinremi Bolaji, director, Economic, Trade and Investment Department, Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (starting with shots 10-11): "Attending the trade fair is going to assist our investment and export promotion. Nigeria over the years is trying to go into non-oil trade, and this is the way to do it when we learn from countries that have excelled. So, our participation will provide us an opportunity to showcase Nigeria's export potential. And I dare say to participants here today that you don't just go there to go and buy junks, but rather go there to take Nigerian products there. And I want to assure you that in September we have signed a lot of MOUs with the Chinese government that allow us to bring in our goods, particularly non-oil."; FILE: Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - Date Unknown 13. Various of people at Canton Fair, machinery operating; Lagos, Nigeria - Feb 24, 2025 14. SOUNDBITE (English) Gabriel Idahosa, president, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ending with shot 15): "We take quite a lot of Nigerians to the Canton Fair for many reasons. One, for them to see how advanced China has become in a few years, and to look at the opportunities for businesses between Nigeria and China. Not just Nigerians buying Chinese goods, but also buying equipment to set up our factories here. So, it is not just a fair for Nigerians to go and buy things, but also to bring technology back to Nigeria."; FILE: Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - Date Unknown 15. Various of intelligent equipment on display at Canton Fair; 16. Businesspeople talking; 17. Visitors at Canton Fair. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainlanal]