The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to making China’s zero-tariff policy a foundation for industrialisation, job creation and shared prosperity in Nigeria.

This is as it welcomed China’s decision to extend the zero-tariff treatment to 100 per cent of tariff lines for African countries.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, stated this in a message to participants at an international seminar organised by the Centre for China Studies in Abuja, at the weekend.

She described the initiative as a major opportunity to accelerate industrialisation, create jobs and drive structural economic transformation across the continent.

The seminar, with the theme, “China’s Zero-Tariff Treatment on 100% of Tariff Lines for African Countries and its Implications for Structural Economic Transformation in Africa,” examined the opportunities and challenges arising from China’s expanded market access for African products.

The Minister commended the Centre for China Studies and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China for convening the seminar, describing the zero-tariff policy as a historic development that could help shift Africa-China relations from a focus on “aid and loans” towards “trade and production.”

According to her, the policy presents Africa with an opportunity to move from the export of raw commodities to value-added products, including processed agricultural goods, textiles, leather products, pharmaceuticals and manufactured goods

She noted that increased market access could also attract Chinese and other foreign investments into African industrial parks, agro-processing facilities and manufacturing hubs, while strengthening regional value chains through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The Minister further highlighted the potential benefits of the policy for increased export earnings, foreign exchange generation, SME growth, infrastructure development, job creation, poverty reduction, technology transfer and increased government revenue.

She, however, cautioned that zero tariffs alone would not guarantee economic transformation, stressing the need for African countries to develop productive capacity, reliable electricity, affordable finance, efficient logistics and adequate infrastructure.

She also underscored the importance of addressing information gaps, improving access to Chinese buyers, meeting international standards and maintaining effective rules of origin to prevent trans-shipment of non-African goods.

Nigeria’s Perspective

Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the policy aligns with Nigeria’s foreign policy priorities under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly the pursuit of prosperity diplomacy.

She described duty-free access to the Chinese market of about 1.4 billion people as a “game-changer” for Nigeria’s agro-processing, textiles, solid minerals and manufacturing sectors.

She said the policy also complements AfCFTA by giving African producers access to two major markets—Africa and China—while providing an opportunity to address Nigeria’s longstanding trade imbalance with China.

“Zero tariff is meaningless if we have nothing to export,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu stressed, noting that Nigeria would prioritise building productive capacity in areas such as cocoa processing, sesame, leather, garments, pharmaceuticals and renewable energy components.

She said the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and other relevant agencies were prepared to work with Chinese investors to establish factories in Nigeria for the production of goods for export to China.

The Minister also called for greater technical cooperation between Nigerian and Chinese regulatory authorities to enable Nigerian exporters to meet Chinese standards, including food safety and sanitary and phytosanitary requirements.

She said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would facilitate regulatory engagements between agencies such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and their Chinese counterparts.

On trade logistics and finance, she advocated streamlined shipping arrangements, trade finance and payment mechanisms in the naira and renminbi to reduce transaction costs.

MFA to Facilitate Implementation

The Minister assured that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would continue to coordinate with the NIPC, the Chinese Embassy in Abuja, Nigerian diplomatic missions in China and other stakeholders to support Nigerian exporters and businesses seeking to access the Chinese market.

She stressed that Nigeria would work to ensure that the zero-tariff initiative translates from policy declarations into increased production, exports and actual shipments of Nigerian manufactured and value-added goods to China.

While thanking the Government and people of China for the gesture of solidarity with Africa, Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged Nigerian businesses to seize the opportunity.

“To our private sector, the door to China is now fully open. The question is: what are we taking through it?” she asked.

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