At an Abuja seminar, Nigeria's Minister of State for Agriculture, Aliyu Abdullahi, said the country should use China's zero-tariff access for 53 African countries to export processed goods, cassava derivatives, premium rice, spices, cashew blends, rather than simply shipping more raw commodities. He warned that zero tariffs alone won't guarantee success without better productivity, processing, logistics and quality certification.
China's ambassador, Yu Dunhai, said China-Africa trade hit $207 billion in the first half of 2026, with Nigeria's bilateral trade up 35% to $18 billion and Chinese imports from Nigeria surging 80% to $2.3 billion. He cited specific savings, $11,000 per 100 tonnes of sesame exported and $300,000 on a single liquefied propane shipment, as evidence of the policy's impact, and called for a formal economic partnership agreement to lock in the preferences.
A Foreign Affairs Ministry official, Dunoma Ahmed, echoed the value-added message, saying Nigeria should move from 'exporting resources to exporting value' and pushed for Chinese and other investors to build factories and processing plants domestically rather than just extract raw materials.
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