China accounted for 30 percent of Nigeria’s total imports valued at N15.42 trillion during the first quarter of 2025, according to foreign trade data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). That share highlights an enduring trade imbalance, with three out of every ten imported products originating from China while more than 60 other countries compete for the remaining supply.
Nigeria’s total imports in the first quarter of 2025 grew by nearly five percent compared to the N14.75 trillion recorded in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to the NBS data. While China captured nearly a third of that market, other major trading partners—including India, the United States, the Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates—collectively accounted for 29.6 percent of the import market during the same three-month window.
Import Composition and Manufactured Goods Dominance
Manufactured goods drove the bulk of Nigeria’s inbound shipments from China during the first quarter. According to trade figures, Nigeria imported N7.52 trillion in manufactured goods, N3.79 trillion in oil products, N1.81 trillion in raw materials, N1.03 trillion in agricultural products, and N91.78 billion in solid minerals.
Specific product breakdowns from the data show that herbicides and plant growth regulators led the manufactured goods category from China at N132.81 billion. Telecommunication and broadcasting equipment followed closely, with machines used for the reception, conversion, and transmission of voice, images, or data valued at N120.15 billion. Other major inbound items included Completely Knocked Down petrol motorcycles valued at N54.64 billion, veneer sheets and wood materials worth N63.93 billion, and polypropylene valued at N6.77 billion.
Long-Term Trade Expansion and Bilateral Context
China’s commercial footprint in Nigeria has expanded steadily over the past five years. Official figures show that the value of goods imported from China rose from N3.22 trillion in 2020 to N14.15 trillion by the end of 2024.
Trade transactions between Nigeria and China over that five-year period exceeded the combined value of goods imported from all countries across both the African and American continents, according to trade analysis by Dataphyte. Bilateral ties have received formal backing from political leadership. Speaking at the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit, President Bola Tinubu praised the economic partnership, noting that the cooperative framework established in 2000 has driven exponential growth in trade volume across the African continent.
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