CHANGSHA -- Central China's Hunan province registered robust foreign trade growth with African countries in the first three months of the year, with the trading volume reaching 14.47 billion yuan ($2 billion), according to the customs of the provincial capital Changsha.

The figure represented a leap of 82.9 percent year-on-year. Hunan is the long-term host of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo. The third session of the expo, scheduled in June, is expected to further promote the growth of bilateral trade.

In the first quarter, Hunan's exports to Africa reached 11.19 billion yuan, an increase of 131.2 percent year-on-year, and the imports surged 6.8 percent to hit 3.28 billion yuan.

Private enterprises have played a significant role in driving foreign trade. The exports mainly involved mechanical and electrical products, labor-intensive products and steel while the major import items were metal ore and copper materials.

Hunan's foreign trade with South Africa accounted for 19.1 percent of the province's total trade with Africa in the first quarter, which was 2.77 billion yuan, an increase of 8.3 percent year-on-year.

The province's trade with Nigeria, Egypt and Djibouti also saw strong growth momentum.