RismadarVoice Reporters
September 11, 2026
China supplied goods worth N11.01tn to Nigeria in the first half of 2026, accounting for 39.27 per cent of the country’s total imports valued at N28.04tn during the period.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics’ Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics showed that imports from China rose from N5.10tn in the first quarter to N5.92tn in the second quarter of 2026.
The N11.01tn figure represents a 14.49 per cent increase from the N9.62tn recorded in the corresponding period of 2025, when Nigeria imported N4.66tn worth of goods from China in Q1 and N4.96tn in Q2.
Despite the increase in Chinese imports, Nigeria’s overall import bill declined by 15.37 per cent, from N33.14tn in the first half of 2025 to N28.04tn in the same period of 2026.
As a result, China’s share of Nigeria’s import market increased from 29.03 per cent in the first half of 2025 to 39.27 per cent in H1 2026.
China remained Nigeria’s largest source of imported goods in both quarters under review. In Q1, Chinese imports accounted for N5.10tn, representing 37.42 per cent of Nigeria’s N13.62tn total imports. The United States followed with N2.81tn, while India accounted for N992.87bn.
The trend became more pronounced in Q2, when imports from China climbed 16.09 per cent quarter-on-quarter to N5.92tn. The figure represented 41.02 per cent of Nigeria’s N14.42tn 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.
Compared with Q2 2025, Nigeria’s imports from China increased by N955.58bn, or 19.26 per cent, despite a 12.55 per cent decline in the country’s overall imports.
The growing volume of imports from China comes amid increased concerns over the circulation of counterfeit and substandard products in Nigeria.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has raised concerns over emerging counterfeit networks allegedly linked to some Chinese operators in the country.
NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, said investigations had uncovered a pattern in which some operators identify popular products in the Nigerian market, arrange for their replication and subsequently distribute the fake products through logistics networks.
He said the development differed from an earlier practice in which Nigerian counterfeiters travelled to China to arrange the production of fake goods.
Iluyomade also said some logistics companies allegedly involved in the distribution of counterfeit products had been shut down as part of NAFDAC’s enforcement efforts.
However, the agency’s concerns do not imply that the entire N11.01tn worth of goods imported from China were counterfeit. Rather, the volume of bilateral trade underscores the scale of the supply chain that requires regulatory monitoring.
China’s dominance was even more significant within Nigeria’s trade with Asia.
Nigeria imported goods worth N16.12tn from Asia in the first six months of 2026, comprising N7.55tn in Q1 and N8.56tn in Q2. China accounted for N11.01tn, representing 68.34 per cent of the total.
Asian countries supplied 55.45 per cent of Nigeria’s imports in Q1, with their share increasing to 59.37 per cent in Q2.
Chinese imports included telecommunications equipment, agricultural machinery, herbicides, oil and gas pipeline materials, solar panels and industrial machinery.
In Q1, major imports from China included machines used for receiving, converting and transmitting voice, images or data valued at N254.41bn; seeders, planters and transplanters worth N137.94bn; related transmission equipment valued at N104.53bn; herbicides worth N103.83bn; and line pipes for oil and gas pipelines valued at N81.15bn.
In Q2, photovoltaic cells assembled into modules or panels were among the major imports, valued at N184.02bn. Other significant imports included telecommunications equipment worth N158.73bn, machinery with a 360-degree revolving superstructure valued at N152.56bn, herbicides worth N128.88bn and seed and grain cleaning machinery valued at N126.45bn.
The data also showed an increase in Nigeria’s imports of manufactured goods.
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 the N7.88tn recorded in the same quarter of 2025.
In total, Nigeria imported manufactured goods worth approximately N18tn during the first half of 2026, accounting for 64.16 per cent of the country’s total import bill.
Nigeria’s trade with China remained heavily tilted in favour of the Asian country.
Nigeria exported goods worth N582.20bn to China in Q1 and N506.57bn in Q2, bringing total exports to N1.09tn in the first half of the year.
Against imports of N11.01tn, Nigeria recorded an estimated merchandise trade deficit of N9.92tn with China during the six months.
The figures indicate that for every N1 worth of goods Nigeria exported to China, the country imported approximately N10.11 worth of goods from China.
Nigeria’s exports to China accounted for only about 2.26 per cent of the country’s N48.19tn total exports in H1 2026.
Meanwhile, NAFDAC has stepped up enforcement against counterfeit and substandard medicines, food products, cosmetics and other regulated goods.
The agency said it secured 64 convictions for counterfeiting offences between June 2025 and June 2026, while its operations also led to the seizure and destruction of large quantities of unregistered and counterfeit products.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed that the agency had seized or destroyed counterfeit and substandard regulated products worth more than N1.54tn nationwide since 2023.
The Organised Private Sector has also warned that counterfeiting is undermining legitimate businesses by reducing sales, discouraging investment and threatening jobs.
Vice Chairman of the Lagos Chapter of the National Association of Small-Scale Industrialists, Peter Popoola, said counterfeit products were particularly damaging to small businesses, which often lack the financial resources to protect their brands or pursue legal action.
He called for government-backed grants and low-interest financing to enable genuine manufacturers to expand production and compete more effectively.
Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of Spectra Industries Limited, Duro Kuteyi, attributed the growing demand for counterfeit goods partly to declining household purchasing power, saying consumers were increasingly drawn to cheaper alternatives.
