Asia ⇄ Africa trade and sourcing: find suppliers and buyers, verify them, trade step by step

Both directions, same discipline

Trade between Asia and Africa runs both ways: machinery, building materials, electronics, packaging and consumer goods flow from Asia to Africa, while agricultural products, raw materials and finished goods flow back. Whatever the direction, deals work best when both sides are specific, verify each other and grow the relationship in steps.

Write a brief that a serious partner can answer

• What: product, grade or specification, packaging;
• How much: trial quantity and expected regular volume;
• Where: origin, destination port or city, and who handles customs;
• Terms: preferred Incoterms, payment structure and timeline;
• Requirements: inspection, certificates of origin, product standards or labelling in the destination market.

Verify the company on both sides

Check that the counterpart exists and is active in the official registry of its country, and that the registered name matches the contract and the bank account. Examples of official registries:

• Nigeria, Corporate Affairs Commission: www.cac.gov.ng
• Kenya, Business Registration Service: brs.go.ke
• South Africa, CIPC: www.cipc.co.za
• China, National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System: www.gsxt.gov.cn
• Malaysia (SSM), Singapore (ACRA), Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia: see How to check if a company is real

Then confirm that your contact really represents the company by calling back through the official number, not the one in the email signature.

Structure payments to protect both sides

• Use company accounts only, and be cautious with any request to pay an individual or a differently named company;
• Tie payments to milestones: deposit, balance after inspection or against shipping documents;
• For larger or first-time deals, ask your bank about documentary payment methods such as letters of credit;
• Treat any last-minute change of bank details as a red flag until it is confirmed by call-back and a second person.

Logistics, inspection and documents

• Agree who books freight and who pays which costs at origin and destination;
• Use pre-shipment inspection for first orders and high-value goods;
• Check the documents the destination requires (commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, conformity certificates) with official sources and your customs broker before shipping;
• Run one trial shipment before signing long-term volumes.

Common traps in this corridor

• "Buyers" who place a large order but first ask the seller to pay registration, certification or membership fees;
• Suppliers offering prices far below the market who want full payment upfront;
• Commodity offers with documents that cannot be verified with the issuing body;
• Pressure to decide today. A real opportunity can wait a day while you verify.

More: Deposits, sample fees and fake orders and How to verify a business partner.

How Chashe Tea Club helps

Post what you are sourcing or selling in the Chashe group or through the project bot @ChasheTT_bot: product, quantity, origin, destination and terms. Contact details stay private. When a counterpart is interested and both sides agree, contacts are exchanged and you continue directly. Chashe does not vet or guarantee members, so run your own checks before you commit.