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Nigeria Eyes Manufacturing Boom as FG Moves to Maximise China’s Zero-Tariff Policy
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By Gloria Ikibah
The Federal Government has declared that Nigeria is ready to lead Africa’s industrial transformation by taking advantage of China’s new zero-tariff policy, with a renewed focus on value addition, manufacturing, technology transfer and job creation.
The position was outlined during an international seminar on “China’s Zero-Tariff Treatment for African Countries and Its Implications for Structural Economic Transformation of Africa,” held at the Shehu Yar’Adua Conference Centre in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dunoma Umar Ahmed, said the policy presents a major opportunity for African countries to move beyond the export of raw materials and embrace industrialisation.
According to him, the key issue for Africa is not simply increasing exports to China but ensuring that African countries retain more value from what they produce.
Ambassador Ahmed explained that under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Nigeria is deliberately shifting away from an overreliance on unprocessed commodities.
“The policy presents a strategic opportunity, but its real benefit depends on Africa’s productive capacity. For Nigeria, the central question is not simply how much Africa can export to China, but what Africa will produce, how it will produce it, and how much value will be retained within African economies.
“Our natural resources must become the starting point, not the end point, of economic activity.
“We seek investors who will build factories, develop industries, transfer technology, train our young people, strengthen local businesses and create sustainable employment,” he said.
He added that Nigeria possesses the demographic and economic advantages required to become Africa’s manufacturing powerhouse.
“Nigeria is well placed to lead Africa’s industrial push, leveraging its large market, AfCFTA membership, entrepreneurial population and abundant resources to attract investments that establish manufacturing and regional value chains,” he said.
Also speaking, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, disclosed that the zero-tariff policy, which took effect on May 1, 2026, is already producing significant results.
He revealed that bilateral trade between Nigeria and China reached 18 billion dollars in the first half of 2026, representing a 35 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
He also noted that Chinese imports from Nigeria rose by 80 per cent to 2.3 billion dollars, while monthly growth exceeded 40 per cent in both May and June.
“Since it took effect, we have seen immediate and concrete results because tariff eliminations are reducing costs, trade volumes are expanding, and local businesses are leveraging zero tariffs to invest in domestic processing and move up the value chain,” Ambassador Yu said.
To maximise the benefits of the initiative, the Chinese envoy proposed four priority areas, including improving product quality, strengthening supply chains, expanding local processing and aligning trade policies with long-term investment strategies.
He also called for stronger policy awareness among Nigerian small and medium-scale enterprises.
According to him, China is ready to deepen its economic partnership with Nigeria.
“China is ready to finalise an Agreement on Economic Partnership for Shared Development with Nigeria and to support joint industrial parks, technology transfer and training,” he said.
Earlier, the Director of the Centre for China Studies, Charles Onunaiju, described the policy as a turning point for Africa’s economic development.
He said the initiative, which now covers 100 per cent of tariff lines across 53 African countries, should be viewed as the beginning of a broader economic transformation rather than an end in itself.
“The zero-tariff treatment, now covering 100 per cent of tariff lines for 53 African countries, is not a finished line but only a starting point,” he said.
Onunaiju argued that African countries must address domestic production challenges and fully utilise the African Continental Free Trade Area to benefit from the policy.
“With an obvious sense of collective relief spanning 53 countries and one shared open door, the ‘Made in Africa’ brand is finally shifting into high gear,” he added.
He explained that the seminar brought together manufacturers, exporters, farmers, customs officials and financial institutions to explore practical ways of translating the new trade arrangement into economic gains.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to working with China, African countries and development partners to convert expanded market access into industrial growth.
The ministry said its goal is to ensure that increased trade leads to stronger manufacturing capacity and transforms Africa’s vast natural resources into sustainable economic prosperity.
A United States-based advocacy firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has accused President Bola Tinubu of being desperate to retain power ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The firm alleged that Tinubu was prepared to use security agencies, the judiciary and electoral institutions to manipulate the electoral process and secure another term in office.
Von Batten-Montague-York made the allegations in a statement published on its verified X handle on Thursday, amid growing political activities ahead of the 2027 polls.
The firm’s remarks followed reports that five men were arrested in Borno State for wearing T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go.”
Reacting to the incident, the advocacy firm raised concerns about what it described as threats to democratic freedoms and the rule of law in Nigeria.
It also called attention to the importance of the United States standing with Nigerians in the defence of democracy and their constitutional rights.
In its statement, the firm claimed that Tinubu had personal reasons for seeking to remain in office, including the legal protections associated with presidential immunity.
“Nigerian President Bola Tinubu is desperate to remain in power for many self-beneficial reasons, including something called head-of-state immunity, a doctrine that can protect sitting heads of state from the jurisdiction of foreign courts while they remain in office,” the firm stated.
The organisation further alleged that Tinubu’s presidency could shield him from a possible fresh examination of allegations concerning his alleged involvement in heroin trafficking in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s.
“Tinubu is now fully aware that the only thing standing in the way of a possible official re-examination of his alleged role in the trafficking of heroin from Nigeria into the United States during the 1980s and 1990s, and a possible new criminal indictment, is his current status as President of Nigeria,” it added.
The allegations remain claims made by the advocacy firm and do not, in themselves, establish wrongdoing by the Nigerian President.
With the 2027 general elections approaching, debates over political freedoms, the conduct of security agencies and the credibility of the electoral process are expected to remain prominent in Nigeria’s political discourse.
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2027: Wike rallies support for Tinubu In Akpor kingdom, Insists He’II resign as Minister should president lose FCT, Rivers(Photos)
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Friday declared that his political alignment with President Bola Tinubu remains unshakable, rallying the political structure of Rivers State to consolidate support for the President.
”My interest in Rivers State is for God to use me as a vessel to help our people. I am back here not for what I will get, but for what I will be to raise my people”, Wike declared during a strategic consultative meeting with stakeholders of the Akpor Kingdom in Obio-Akpor Local Government, Rivers State, Wike emphasized that politics is driven by the collective interest of the people rather than perpetual animosity.
He also reiterated his decision to resign his position as Minister should President Tinubu lose in Rivers State and the FCT.
The former governor of Rivers State maintained that expanding the political base is essential for delivering democratic dividends.
He said; “there is no permanent enemy in politics what we have is permanent collective interest.
“It is all about the interest of our people. The more you are in number, the happier you become. Leadership is like a waste dustbin. If you cannot absorb things, both the good and the bad, then you cannot be a true leader.”
Reflecting on the political trajectory that led to his appointment as FCT Minister, Wike noted that working with President Tinubu was an extraordinary milestone that defied political convention.
He stressed that his return to grassroots mobilization in Rivers State is aimed at leveraging his position as a vessel to uplift the state and its people.
”You know how difficult, you know how impossible it looked, but he made it possible for us to produce the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory,” Wike told the gathering.
He charged political actors in the state not to be distracted by social media criticism regarding his open-door policy toward former detractors, asserting that true political strength lies in numerical superiority.
In a fiery charge to local leaders, Wike demanded an all-inclusive campaign structure spanning every stratum of society in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.
He called on traditional rulers, clergy, and community leaders to unite behind a single political direction.
”Obio-Akpor as a whole, whether you are a politician, whether you are a traditional ruler, whether you are a pastor, or whether you are a native doctor, I need everybody now,” he declared.
Wike said further; “Because all of them will vote. For the purpose of voting and elections, we must bring everyone together. ”
Drawing from his political history as the first elected chairman in the history of Obio-Akpor Local Government to win a second term following its creation in 1989, Wike reminded incumbent council leaders that performance and human connection remain the ultimate yardsticks for re-election.
He stated; “I was not elected two times because I was just Chairman.
“I was elected because people felt the impact of governance and because I related with the people. Anywhere, whether for burial or thanksgiving, I was always identifying with them”.
Outlining the electoral roadmap, the FCT Minister highlighted Wards 15, 16, and 17 in Obio-Akpor Local Government as strategic strongholds capable of deciding electoral outcomes across the local council.
”We have over 200 units across three very important wards Ward 15, Ward 16, and Ward 17. These three wards can defeat ten wards in Obio-Akpor. They are three wards with a difference, and you must utilize them to make that difference,” he instructed.
Wike directed local leaders to immediately deploy unit coordinators and door-to-door canvassers across all polling units, urging them to mobilize their immediate families, in-laws, and neighbors to ensure a decisive victory.
Reiterating his loyalty to his constituency, Wike affirmed that he would remain the state’s “Chief Critic” and guide to ensure elected council officers stay accountable to the electorate.
Wike was accompanied by the Rivers State APC governorship candidate, Kingsley Chinda and other political leaders.
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Echoes of Wike ‘na our own ‘ song takes over at ongoing Akpor town hall meeting in Obio/Akpor LGA today (Video)
Echoes of Wike ‘na our own ‘song rent the air at ongoing Akpor town hall meeting at Obio/Akpor LGA in Rivers State today.
Watch clip below:
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