-
Nigeria imported ₦11.01trn worth of goods from China in H1 2026, representing 39.27 percent of its total import bill.
-
Chinese imports rose 14.49 percent year-on-year even as Nigeria’s overall imports fell 15.37 percent.
-
Nigeria exported only ₦1.09trn to China, leaving a ₦9.92trn merchandise trade deficit with the Asian country.
September 11, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s imports from China increased from ₦5.10 trillion in the first quarter of 2026 to ₦5.92 trillion in the second quarter, according to the latest Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics.
The combined ₦11.01 trillion accounted for 39.27 percent of Nigeria’s total imports of ₦28.04 trillion during the first six months of the year.
This means almost ₦4 out of every ₦10 spent by Nigeria on imported goods went to China.
China’s dominance has also increased significantly from a year earlier. Imports from the country rose from ₦9.62 trillion in H1 2025 to ₦11.01 trillion in H1 2026, representing an increase of ₦1.39 trillion or 14.49 percent.
The increase came despite Nigeria’s total import bill falling from ₦33.14 trillion to ₦28.04 trillion over the same period.
As a result, China’s share of Nigeria’s imports jumped from 29.03 percent in H1 2025 to 39.27 percent in H1 2026.
China widens lead over other suppliers
The concentration was even more pronounced in the second quarter.
China supplied ₦5.92 trillion, representing 41.02 percent of Nigeria’s ₦14.42 trillion total imports during the quarter.
The United States, Nigeria’s second-largest source of imports, supplied ₦1.01 trillion or 6.97 percent. India followed with ₦924.46 billion.
China, therefore, supplied almost six times the value of goods imported from the United States in Q2.
Major Chinese imports included photovoltaic cells assembled into modules or panels worth ₦184.02 billion.
Nigeria also imported ₦158.73 billion worth of machines for receiving, converting and transmitting voice, images or data, while machinery with 360-degree revolving superstructures was valued at ₦152.56 billion.
Herbicides and related products accounted for ₦128.88 billion, while machinery for cleaning, sorting or grading seeds and grains was worth ₦126.45 billion.
The products underline China’s importance to Nigeria’s telecommunications, agriculture, construction, renewable energy and industrial sectors.
Nigeria records ₦9.92trn trade deficit
The growing import dependence is accompanied by a major imbalance in Nigeria’s merchandise trade with China.
Nigeria exported goods worth ₦582.20 billion to China in Q1 and ₦506.57 billion in Q2, bringing total exports to ₦1.09 trillion in H1.
Against imports of ₦11.01 trillion, Nigeria consequently recorded an estimated ₦9.92 trillion merchandise trade deficit with China.
In simple terms, Nigeria imported about ₦10.11 worth of goods from China for every ₦1 it exported to the country.
China’s dominance was also evident in Nigeria’s wider trade with Asia.
Nigeria imported ₦7.55 trillion from Asia in Q1 and ₦8.56 trillion in Q2, bringing the regional total to ₦16.12 trillion in H1.
China accounted for 68.34 percent of those imports, meaning more than two-thirds of Nigeria’s purchases from Asia came from a single country.
READ ALSO:
Counterfeit concerns raise regulatory pressure
The scale of Chinese imports comes amid renewed concerns over counterfeit and substandard products in Nigeria.
NAFDAC Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, said the agency had uncovered a new trend involving counterfeit operators linked to China.
According to him, some operators identify popular products in Nigeria, arrange for their replication in China and use logistics networks to distribute the products locally.
He said the practice represented a shift from an earlier model in which Nigerian counterfeiters travelled to China to arrange the production of fake goods.
NAFDAC has reportedly shut logistics companies allegedly connected to some of the distribution networks as part of efforts to disrupt the supply chain.
However, the agency’s allegations do not mean that the ₦11.01 trillion worth of Chinese imports were counterfeit.
Rather, the scale of Chinese trade highlights the size of the supply chain that requires regulatory oversight at Nigeria’s borders and within the domestic market.
NAFDAC said it secured 64 convictions for counterfeiting offences between June 2025 and June 2026.
The agency also said it had seized or destroyed more than ₦1.54 trillion worth of fake and substandard regulated products nationwide since 2023.
The figures, therefore, present Nigeria with a broader challenge: maintaining access to Chinese machinery and industrial inputs while reducing excessive import dependence, expanding domestic production and strengthening controls against counterfeit goods.
Ogochukwu Onwaeze is a writer specializing in business and economic journalism. At THEWILL News Media, she translates market trends, financial developments, and policy shifts into clear and engaging stories.
