AI–Trade Surge: Inside China–Nigeria’s $22.3 Billion Partnership Boom Of 2025
By ANITA KNIGHT
NIGERIA and China entered 2026 with bilateral relations strengthened by a remarkable expansion in trade, investment, cultural diplomacy and defence cooperation in 2025, according to diplomatic and economic observers. Data from the first 10 months of 2025 showed that trade between both countries hit $22.3 billion—exceeding the total for 2024 and marking a 30 per cent year-on-year growth. China’s direct investment inflow into Nigeria also rose to $670 million, a 130 per cent increase over 2024, signalling renewed investor confidence in Africa’s largest economy.
Nigeria’s endorsement of China’s economic role on the continent took on a sharper strategic tone after President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to Beijing in September 2025, which the Chinese Ambassador, Yu Dunhai, described as pushing the relationship into a “fast lane” of execution and trust. His remarks highlighted a year-long cycle of political diplomacy, including three high-level meetings between Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with additional coordination at global forums such as Brazil and the Coordinators’ Meeting on China–Africa Cooperation. These engagements, analysts said, were part of a broader global south alignment that buffered Nigeria from global trade fragmentation, tariff shocks, and volatile energy markets that defined the global economy in 2025.
Major infrastructure investments reflected the scale of the partnership. The Greater Abuja Water Supply Project was completed, delivering potable water access to nearly three million residents in the Federal Capital Territory, addressing one of Nigeria’s most persistent urban development challenges. Meanwhile, the Kano–Kaduna Railway Project crossed the 50 per cent construction milestone after full financing was disbursed, reinforcing China’s dominance in Nigeria’s rail modernisation push. Economic experts noted that these projects were no longer symbolic, but structural—capable of stimulating supply chain integration across northern Nigeria, linking agrarian clusters to export rail corridors, and improving internal market fluidity ahead of full AfCFTA trade harmonisation.
Cultural diplomacy also scaled new heights. The “Nihao! China” radio programme aired over 20 episodes on Nigeria’s federal radio network, reaching millions of listeners and subtly shaping perceptions of China beyond infrastructure financing to soft power collaboration. The number of “China Corners”—public cultural learning hubs established in FCT senior secondary schools—expanded to 15, giving Nigerian youths early exposure to Mandarin language and Chinese cultural literacy. Diplomatic analysts interpreted this as a long-term influence strategy, embedding cultural familiarity among Nigeria’s emerging workforce while strengthening China’s educational footprint through scholarships, Confucius Institutes and Luban technical workshops.
Defence cooperation grew quietly but aggressively. Former Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru attended the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, delivering a keynote speech and holding talks with senior military officials. The number of Nigerian officers undergoing training in China nearly doubled, spanning the Army, Navy, and Air Force. China also supplied counter-terror equipment and intelligence hardware to Nigerian security agencies to support anti-terror operations. While Nigeria maintained its One-China principle, China in turn publicly backed Nigeria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and development agenda. Policy analysts said this mutual assistance signalled a shift from transactional diplomacy to geopolitical interdependence, with Nigeria gaining access to military technology and China consolidating strategic influence in West Africa’s security landscape.
