Nigeria-China trade rose by 35 per cent to $18 billion in the first half of 2026, following the implementation of China's zero-tariff policy for African countries, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, has said.
Dunhai disclosed this at a one-day international seminar on "China's Zero Tariff Treatment for African Countries and its Implications for Structural Economic Transformation in Africa," organised by the Centre for China Studies in Abuja.
He said the development reflected the immediate impact of the policy, which took effect on May 1, 2026, adding that Chinese imports from Nigeria surged by 80 per cent to $2.3 billion during the period.
According to him, monthly growth in Nigerian exports to China exceeded 40 per cent in both May and June, while China-Africa trade reached a record $207 billion in the first half of the year.
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He said Chinese imports from Africa stood at $29 billion between May and June, representing a 24 per cent year-on-year increase, while the zero-tariff policy had boosted overall African exports to China by about six per cent.
Dunhai said the policy, announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping on February 14, 2026, granted zero-tariff treatment to all tariff lines for African countries with diplomatic relations with China.
He described the initiative as a strategic milestone in China-Africa relations, saying it was designed to promote economic development, industrialisation and mutually beneficial cooperation.
For Nigeria, he said the policy had already translated into concrete savings for exporters, citing sesame, cattle bone granules and liquefied propane among products benefiting from the tariff concessions.
"Every hundred tons of sesame exports saves $11,000 in costs. Nigeria's annual export of 7,000 tons of cattle bone granules saves nearly $450,000 in costs. And on day one of the policy, a single shipment of 23,000 tons of Nigerian liquefied propane saved $300,000 in tax," Dunhai said.
Dunhai, however, stressed that Nigeria needed to improve product quality, supply-chain reliability and local processing capacity to sustain the gains from the policy.
"Meeting Chinese market standards and ensuring reliable supply volumes are essential for long-term success," he said, adding that China was ready to provide technical support for standardised production.
He also called for increased local processing and industrialisation, saying China was willing to work with Nigerian partners to establish joint industrial parks and provide equipment, technology and training to process raw materials locally.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dunoma Umar Ahmed, said Nigeria must use the opportunity provided by the policy to move from exporting raw materials to exporting value-added products.
Represented at the seminar, Ahmed said the critical question was not simply how much Africa could export to China, but "what Africa will produce, how it will produce it, and how much value will be retained within African economies."
He said President Bola Tinubu's economic agenda was focused on moving Nigeria away from dependence on the export of unprocessed commodities by encouraging investments that would establish manufacturing capacity, develop industrial value chains and create jobs.
Ahmed said Nigeria was seeking investments that would establish factories, processing plants, technology centres and logistics networks, while creating skilled employment and strengthening local businesses.
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Earlier, the Director of the Centre for China Studies, Charles Onunaiju, said China's zero-tariff policy should be regarded as a starting point rather than the end of Africa's efforts to expand exports and achieve structural transformation.
"Zero-tariff treatment for products coming from Africa is only the starting point; it's not the finish line," Onunaiju said.
He urged African countries to make the necessary policy changes to exploit the opportunity, including improving standards, harmonising customs arrangements and strengthening regional economic integration under AfCFTA.
Onunaiju said Africa's opportunity extended beyond increased exports, arguing that the continent could use access to the Chinese market to develop manufacturing capacity and become "the next workshop of the world."
