By Amah Alphonsus Amaonye — AWC Sports & Diplomacy Desk
In Changsha, Hunan Province, on 17 December 2025, Mr. Jacob Onu, National Coordinator of the World Soccer Legends — War Against Cancer (Abuja 2026), held a strategic meeting with Mr. Liu Wen (Steve), Secretary-General of the China-Africa Economic & Trade Promotion Council (CAEPT), to secure Chinese body’s partnership and support for the first-ever international charity football fixture slated for Abuja next year.
The Changsha meeting — held on the sidelines of ongoing China–Africa economic activities in the city — aims to convert China’s growing private-sector engagement in Africa into practical backing for a high-profile health-awareness campaign that will mix elite sport, fundraising and public education. Changsha has become a hub for Sino-African economic engagement in 2025, hosting major trade expositions and business fora that facilitate such cross-continental partnerships.
A Match with Purpose — Sport Meets Public Health
Mr. Onu told AWC that the meeting focused on logistics, sponsorship, medical partner links and goodwill missions associated with the Abuja event, which organisers envisage as a global showcase combining football legends, cancer awareness drives and fundraising for treatment and screening programmes across Nigeria. Onu has previously emphasized the match’s public-health mission and media partnerships aimed at amplifying cancer education nationwide.
Why Changsha? China-Africa Platforms and Strategic Access
Changsha was a logical venue: the city hosted high-level China–Africa economic and trade gatherings during 2025 that brought government agencies, private firms and sector councils together — the very ecosystem that makes match sponsorship, medical-equipment support and logistics partnerships possible. Organisers will seek CAEPT and Chinese corporate partners for stadium logistics, medical equipment donations, tour logistics for visiting players and promotional campaigns.
What CAEPT Brings to the Table
CAEPT — a platform that links Chinese commercial interests with African projects — can provide:
- Corporate sponsorships from Chinese firms operating in Nigeria;
- Supply-chain and logistics support (movement of teams, equipment, staging);
- Medical and technical donations, including screening equipment and capacity-building for oncology outreach; and
- Media and communications tie-ins to amplify the match across Chinese and African audiences.
Mr. Liu Wen (Steve) reportedly welcomed the idea of a China–Africa-backed sporting philanthropy effort, describing sport as “a convenient bridge between hearts, policy and business” — language consistent with how Chinese institutions have framed cultural-and-trade diplomacy at the Changsha expos. (Context on the Changsha expo and China–Africa cooperation cited.)
Logistics & Legacy: From One Match to Ongoing Impact
Organisers say the Abuja event will be structured beyond a single spectacle. Planned outcomes discussed in Changsha include:
- A legacy fund for cancer screenings and treatment in underserved Nigerian regions;
- Training exchanges between Nigerian medical centres and Chinese hospital networks for cancer care best practices;
- Youth football clinics and community outreach tied to the visiting legends’ schedule; and
- Corporate social responsibility frameworks that bind sponsors to multi-year commitments rather than one-off gifts.
Jacob Onu’s team has previously secured domestic media partnerships and elder statesmen backing; the Changsha engagement is meant to cement an international sponsor base and logistical backbone for bringing football icons and medical partners to Abuja.
Wider Significance — Sport Diplomacy in an Era of Pragmatic Partnerships
The meeting illustrates three broader trends: (1) China’s expanding soft-power footprint through sporting and cultural partnerships across Africa; (2) growing private-sector philanthropy in health and sport as a complement to state aid; and (3) Nigeria’s ability to leverage cultural diplomacy to attract infrastructure and medical resources that align with national health goals.
Onu said the partnerships would be governed by strong transparency and impact-measurement rules to ensure funds and equipment translate into long-term health outcomes.
What’s Next
Organisers expect formal memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and sponsorship term-sheets to be finalised in early 2026, with logistical confirmations for visiting players and medical teams announced in the first quarter.
The World Soccer Legends match — positioned as both a sporting reunion and a health campaign — now looks set to include Chinese corporate sponsorship and technical partnerships that could strengthen its fundraising potential and medical-care legacy in Nigeria
