China sees well-oiled logistics with surging business demand

China's logistics industry retained upward trend in September, with the average prosperity index increasing 0.9 percentage points from the previous month to 52.4 percent, according to data released by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) on Tuesday.

Breaking down the data, both the total business volume index and the index for new orders saw continuous rebound and remained in the expansion range.

Specifying in industries, the logistics demand of consumer packaged goods saw a rapid growth, while that of electronic components, pharmaceutical and chemical industries, automobile manufacturing and parts, communications equipment, home appliances and other durable consumer goods picked up steadily.

The CFLP data also showed that the total business volume index of railway transport and road transport stood at 54.4 percent and 53 percent in September, a monthly increase of 0.5 percentage points and 0.6 percentage points, respectively.

For air transport, the total business volume index and the index for new orders edged up 0.8 percentage points and 1.1 percentage points to 57.8 percent and 59.5 percent, respectively.

The e-commerce logistics sector saw an increased activity with the total business volume index of postal delivery services coming to 69.9 percent in September, much higher than the average level of the whole logistics industry. The daily average business volume of key postal delivery companies surveyed experienced an 8-percent growth over the previous month.

"The prosperity index of China's logistics industry sustained upbeat trend in September, showing the further improvement of the supply-demand structure of the industry since the beginning of the third quarter. The overall operational activities of the sector have become more active, stimulating the rapid growth of physical logistics," said Liu Yuhang, director of the China Logistics Information Center.

China sees well-oiled logistics with surging business demand

African officials on Wednesday pledged to scale up investment to accelerate development across the member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at a meeting in Accra, Ghana's capital.

They made the commitment during the 24th Annual General Meeting of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), where leaders highlighted the need to expand the bank's capital base to finance transformative projects.

Ghanaian Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson stressed that timely capital payments would strengthen EBID's leverage and sustain its growth, enabling the institution to stimulate inclusive economic expansion across the region.

"Timely capital payments are critical. It strengthens EBID leverage and sustains its growth and impact across our region. Expanding our capital base is essential to strengthen our ability to finance transformative development projects and stimulate inclusive economic growth among our member states," said Forson.

EBID recorded strong achievements in 2025, with total disbursements of about 722 million U.S. dollars, up 47.7 percent from 2024. Building on that momentum, President George Agyekum Donkor said the bank remains committed to helping member states tackle poverty and close infrastructure gaps across the region.

"We aim to direct at least 63 percent of new commitments towards the private enterprises to catalyze job creation and innovation. Simultaneously, the bank would embed environmental, social and governance principles across its operations, dedicating over 41 percent of resources to climate mitigation and social inclusion projects," said Donkor.

With disbursements surging nearly 48 percent last year, EBID officials said the bank is positioned to channel more resources into private-sector growth and climate-focused projects, reinforcing its role as a driver of inclusive development across West Africa.

African officials vow stronger investment push at ECOWAS bank meeting in Accra