China Supplies 39% of Nigeria’s N28tn Imports

Nigeria imported goods worth N11.01tn from China in the first half of 2026, representing 39.27 per cent of the country’s total imports of N28.04tn during the period.

The latest Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that China remained Nigeria’s largest source of imported goods, despite a decline in the country’s overall import bill.

Imports from China rose from N5.10tn in the first quarter of 2026 to N5.92tn in the second quarter, with the combined figure accounting for almost four out of every N10 spent by Nigeria on imported goods between January and June.

Compared with the corresponding period in 2025, imports from China increased by N1.39tn, representing a 14.49 per cent rise from N9.62tn recorded in the first half of that year.

The increase came against the backdrop of a decline in Nigeria’s overall import bill. Total imports fell from N33.14tn in H1 2025 to N28.04tn in H1 2026, representing a 15.37 per cent decrease.

As a result, China’s share of Nigeria’s total imports increased significantly, rising from 29.03 per cent in H1 2025 to 39.27 per cent in H1 2026.

In Q1 2026, China supplied N5.10tn worth of goods, representing 37.42 per cent of Nigeria’s N13.62tn total imports. The United States followed with N2.81tn, while India supplied N992.87bn.

The dominance of Chinese imports became more pronounced in Q2, when imports from the country rose by 16.09 per cent quarter-on-quarter to N5.92tn. The figure represented 41.02 per cent of Nigeria’s N14.42tn total imports during the quarter.

The United States supplied N1.01tn, representing 6.97 per cent, while India accounted for N924.46bn, or 6.41 per cent. The Netherlands and Germany supplied N409.81bn and N395.87bn, respectively.

The data showed that Nigeria imported almost six times more goods from China than from the United States during the second quarter.

China’s imports also rose by N955.58bn, or 19.26 per cent, compared with the N4.96tn recorded in Q2 2025, even as Nigeria’s total imports declined by 12.55 per cent year-on-year.

The rising volume of Chinese imports has coincided with renewed concerns over the circulation of counterfeit and substandard products in the Nigerian market.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has raised concerns over what it described as emerging networks involved in the production and distribution of counterfeit goods linked to Chinese operators.

NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, said investigations had uncovered a trend in which some operators allegedly identify popular products in Nigeria, arrange for their replication abroad and subsequently use logistics networks to bring the products into the country.

He said the situation had changed from the previous practice of Nigerian counterfeiters travelling to China to arrange production, claiming that some of those involved now operate within Nigeria.

According to Iluyomade, the agency had also identified logistics companies allegedly being used to distribute counterfeit products and had taken steps to shut down some of the companies.

However, the concerns raised by NAFDAC do not imply that all or a significant portion of the N11.01tn worth of Chinese imports were counterfeit. Rather, the scale of bilateral trade underscores the size of the supply chain requiring effective regulatory monitoring.

China’s dominance was also evident in Nigeria’s trade with Asia. Imports from Asia stood at N7.55tn in Q1 and N8.56tn in Q2, bringing the six-month total to N16.12tn.

China’s N11.01tn share represented 68.34 per cent of Nigeria’s total imports from Asia during the period.

The country’s imports from China covered a wide range of sectors, including telecommunications, agriculture, construction, renewable energy and industrial production.

Among the major products imported from China in Q1 were machines used for the reception, conversion and transmission of voice, images or data, valued at N254.41bn.

Other significant imports included seeders, planters and transplanters worth N137.94bn; parts of apparatus for transmitting or receiving voice, images or data valued at N104.53bn; herbicides and related agricultural products worth N103.83bn; and line pipes used for oil and gas pipelines valued at N81.15bn.

In Q2, photovoltaic cells assembled into modules or panels worth N184.02bn ranked among the major imports from China.

Nigeria also imported N158.73bn worth of telecommunications-related machines, N152.56bn of machinery with a 360-degree revolving superstructure, N128.88bn of herbicides and related products, and N126.45bn worth of machinery for cleaning, sorting or grading seeds and grains.

The figures also showed a rise in Nigeria’s manufactured goods imports. Manufactured goods imports stood at N8.48tn in Q1 2026, representing a 12.94 per cent increase from N7.51tn recorded in Q1 2025.

The figure rose further to N9.51tn in Q2, up 20.65 per cent from N7.88tn in the corresponding quarter of 2025.

Nigeria therefore imported about N18tn worth of manufactured goods in the first six months of 2026, accounting for 64.16 per cent of the country’s total import bill.

The trade figures further revealed a significant imbalance in Nigeria’s merchandise trade with China.

Nigeria exported goods worth N582.20bn to China in Q1 and N506.57bn in Q2, bringing total exports to China to N1.09tn in H1 2026.

With imports from China standing at N11.01tn, Nigeria recorded an estimated merchandise trade deficit of N9.92tn with the country during the six-month period.

The figures indicate that for every N1 worth of goods Nigeria exported to China, it imported approximately N10.11 worth of goods from the Asian country.

Meanwhile, NAFDAC has intensified its enforcement activities against counterfeit and substandard products following growing concerns over fake medicines, food products, cosmetics and other regulated goods in circulation.

The agency disclosed that it secured 64 convictions for counterfeiting offences between June 2025 and June 2026, while enforcement operations led to the seizure and destruction of large quantities of unregistered and counterfeit products.

NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, also disclosed that the agency had destroyed or seized more than N1.54tn worth of fake and substandard regulated products nationwide since 2023.

Operators in the organised private sector have also expressed concern over the impact of counterfeiting on legitimate businesses, saying the practice was reducing sales, eroding profits and discouraging investment.

The Vice Chairman, Lagos Chapter of the National Association of Small-Scale Industrialists, Peter Popoola, said counterfeit products were damaging legitimate brands and making it difficult for small businesses to compete.

“Counterfeiting reduces our sales and profits. It also damages the reputation of legitimate brands because the consumer may not know the difference until he uses the product and it turns out bad,” Popoola said.

He also called for government support through grants and low-interest credit facilities to enable genuine manufacturers expand production and compete more effectively in the market.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Spectra Industries Limited, Duro Kuteyi, attributed part of the growing demand for counterfeit products to declining household purchasing power.

“There is not much money in the pocket, so everybody is looking for cheap items, and that is where counterfeiters gain access to the market,” Kuteyi said.

He urged consumers to be more vigilant and look out for signs of counterfeit products when purchasing goods.