Key points
- China’s imports from Nigeria rose by 80 per cent to $2.3 billion in the first half of 2026, according to Chinese Ambassador Yu Dunhai.
- Nigeria-China bilateral trade reached $18 billion, representing a 35 per cent year-on-year increase.
- The growth followed China’s implementation of a zero-tariff policy for 53 African countries from May 1, 2026.
- China said the policy had already reduced export costs for Nigerian commodities including sesame, cattle bone granules and liquefied propane.
- The envoy said tariff-free access alone would not transform Nigeria’s economy without local processing, quality improvement and reliable supply chains.
- Nigeria urged businesses to use the policy to move from exporting raw materials to exporting value-added products.
- Agriculture officials identified cassava, rice, spices, hibiscus, cashew, soybean products, fruits and vegetables as areas with strong export potential.
- Experts said AfCFTA could complement China’s zero-tariff policy by strengthening regional value chains and increasing Africa’s export capacity.
Main Story
China’s imports from Nigeria surged by 80 per cent to $2.3 billion in the first half of 2026, signalling an early boost to Nigerian exports following Beijing’s decision to remove tariffs on imports from eligible African countries.
Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, disclosed the figure at an international seminar on “China’s Zero-Tariff Measures and Africa’s Economic Structural Transformation”, organised by the Centre for China Studies in Abuja.
According to Yu, Nigeria-China bilateral trade reached $18 billion during the first six months of 2026, representing a 35 per cent increase compared with the corresponding period of 2025.
He attributed the surge partly to China’s zero-tariff policy, which took effect on May 1 and covers 53 African countries with which China maintains diplomatic relations.
“Chinese imports from Nigeria surged 80 per cent to $2.3 billion, with monthly growth exceeding 40 per cent in both May and June.”
The ambassador said the policy was already producing measurable results across Africa, contributing to an estimated six per cent increase in overall African exports to China.
China-Africa trade, he added, reached a record $207 billion in the first half of 2026, while Chinese imports from Africa rose to $29 billion in May and June alone, representing a 24 per cent year-on-year increase.
Zero Tariffs Create New Opening for Nigerian Exporters
For Nigerian businesses, the policy could significantly reduce the cost of accessing the Chinese market.
Yu cited specific examples of savings generated by the tariff exemption.
He said every 100 tonnes of sesame exported from Nigeria could save exporters about $11,000, while annual exports of 7,000 tonnes of cattle bone granules could generate nearly $450,000 in savings.
A single shipment of about 23,000 tonnes of Nigerian liquefied propane, he added, attracted approximately $300,000 in tax savings under the new arrangement.
The savings could improve the competitiveness of Nigerian products in one of the world’s largest consumer markets.
However, the Chinese envoy cautioned that zero tariffs alone would not guarantee export growth or economic transformation.
The Bigger Challenge: What Nigeria Exports
Yu said Nigerian producers must improve product quality, supply reliability and processing capacity if they are to sustain access to China’s vast consumer market.
With China offering tariff-free access, the challenge increasingly shifts from market access to production capacity.
Nigerian businesses must be able to supply goods consistently, meet international quality standards and satisfy Chinese import requirements.
The ambassador therefore urged businesses to invest in value addition and comply with Chinese market standards to take advantage of access to more than 1.4 billion consumers.
He also called for stronger cooperation in industrial parks, technology transfer and technical training.
According to him, China is prepared to support Nigeria’s efforts to process more of its raw materials domestically rather than exporting commodities in their unprocessed form.
Nigeria Wants More Than Raw-Material Exports
The Federal Government said Nigeria must use the tariff-free opportunity to fundamentally change the structure of its exports.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Ojukwu, represented by Permanent Secretary Dunoma Ahmed, said the policy could help Nigeria move from being predominantly a raw-material exporter to a producer of higher-value goods.
“The objective should be to ensure that a greater proportion of the value generated from Africa’s resources remain within Africa.”
The argument reflects a longstanding concern about Nigeria’s trade structure: the country exports commodities with limited processing and imports higher-value manufactured products.
China’s new policy could therefore provide a major opportunity — but only if Nigerian industries have the capacity to produce and process competitively.
Agriculture Emerges as Major Opportunity
The agriculture sector could become one of the biggest beneficiaries of the expanded market access.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, said Nigeria should focus not merely on increasing exports but on improving what it exports.
“The question before us is not, can Nigeria export more? The question should be, can Nigeria export better?”
He identified processed cassava, premium rice, spices, hibiscus, cashew products, soybean products, fruits and vegetables as commodities with significant export potential.
But increasing exports of these products will require investment in:
- Modern processing plants;
- Cold-chain and storage facilities;
- Efficient transportation;
- Quality assurance;
- Product traceability;
- International certification;
- Reliable electricity and logistics.
Without these supporting systems, tariff-free access could remain an opportunity that Nigerian producers are unable to fully exploit.
What’s Being Said
The Chinese ambassador called for stronger institutional cooperation between both countries, including progress on trade facilitation, investment protection and quarantine standards.
He said China wanted to create a more predictable environment for investors and exporters.
Yu also encouraged Nigerian businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to participate in major Chinese trade platforms such as the China International Import Expo, Canton Fair and China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo.
These platforms, he said, could provide direct connections between Nigerian producers and Chinese buyers.
The Issues
The biggest risk is that Nigeria could enjoy increased exports without achieving meaningful industrial transformation.
If the country simply increases shipments of unprocessed commodities, much of the value associated with processing, packaging and manufacturing will continue to be created outside Nigeria.
There is also the question of whether Nigerian producers can supply the Chinese market at the required scale and quality.
China’s 1.4-billion-person consumer market presents enormous potential, but it is also highly competitive. Nigerian exporters will compete with producers from across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Consequently, tariff-free access should be viewed as an opportunity to build competitiveness, rather than a guarantee of increased exports.
AfCFTA Could Multiply the Opportunity
Director of the Centre for China Studies, Charles Onunaiju, said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could complement China’s tariff policy.
He argued that AfCFTA could help harmonise standards, strengthen regional value chains and create economies of scale for African exporters.
This is particularly important because individual African economies may struggle to produce sufficient volumes for large international markets.
A stronger regional production network could allow Nigeria and other African countries to specialise in different stages of production while accessing larger markets.
Onunaiju urged African countries to regard China’s zero-tariff policy as a starting point for industrialisation rather than an end in itself.
What’s Next
The next challenge is implementation.
Nigeria will need to strengthen its export infrastructure while helping businesses understand China’s import requirements.
Government and private-sector stakeholders will also need to focus on:
- Processing more commodities locally;
- Improving product quality and certification;
- Reducing logistics and transportation costs;
- Expanding access to export finance;
- Building reliable supply chains;
- Connecting Nigerian producers directly with Chinese buyers;
- Using AfCFTA to build regional supply networks.
If these measures are implemented effectively, China’s zero-tariff policy could help Nigeria move from sporadic commodity exports to a more structured export economy.
Bottom Line
China’s 80 per cent increase in imports from Nigeria to $2.3 billion in six months provides an encouraging early signal that tariff-free access can stimulate bilateral trade.
But the bigger opportunity is not simply to sell more to China.
It is to sell better products, process more raw materials at home and capture a larger share of the value chain.
For Nigeria, the zero-tariff policy could become a major export catalyst — but only if government and businesses invest in the factories, technology, logistics, standards and skills required to turn market access into sustainable industrial growth.
