Nigeria: Zero-Tariff Policy Pushes Nigeria-China Trade to $18bn - Envoy

What the report says

Nigeria-China trade climbed to $18 billion in the first half of 2026, a 35% increase that Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Yu Dunhai linked to Beijing’s zero-tariff policy for African countries, according to Daily Trust, distributed by AllAfrica. He made the remarks at a one-day international seminar in Abuja focused on the policy’s implications for African structural transformation, hosted by the Centre for China Studies.

Dunhai said China’s zero-tariff treatment, which took effect on May 1, 2026, helped lift Chinese imports from Nigeria by 80% to $2.3 billion in the period. He also said monthly Nigerian exports to China grew by more than 40% in May and June, while China-Africa trade reached a record $207 billion in the first half of the year. The ambassador said the policy was intended to support development, industrialisation and broader cooperation.

The article said the tariff concessions have already benefited Nigerian exports such as sesame, cattle bone granules and liquefied propane. At the same event, Nigeria’s foreign affairs ministry said the country should use the opening to move beyond raw-material exports and expand value-added production. The Centre for China Studies also urged African governments to improve standards, customs coordination and regional integration so exporters can fully benefit from the access to China’s market.