ACCI Welcomes China’s Zero-Tariff Policy, Urges Nigerian Exporters to Tap Chinese Market
Oru Leonard
ACCI Welcomes China’s Zero-Tariff Policy, Urges Nigerian Exporters to Tap Chinese Market.
The President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chief Emeka Obegolu, SAN, PhD, has described China’s zero-tariff policy for African countries as a major opportunity capable of transforming Nigeria’s export sector, boosting industrialisation, and strengthening trade ties between Africa and China.
Reacting to the policy introduced by the Government of China, Obegolu commended the initiative as a strategic move aimed at promoting balanced trade, economic cooperation, and inclusive growth between China and African nations.
He said the development offers Nigeria a rare opportunity to reposition its economy away from overreliance on crude oil exports toward a diversified, export-driven economy anchored on agriculture, manufacturing, and value addition.
According to him, Nigeria must move swiftly to maximise the opportunity by increasing the production and export of agro-processed and manufactured products with strong demand in the Chinese market.
The ACCI President identified cocoa, sesame seeds, cashew nuts, ginger, leather products, textiles, and processed agricultural commodities as sectors with significant export potential under the new arrangement.
Obegolu noted that, as the umbrella body for the organised private sector in the Federal Capital Territory and surrounding areas, the chamber remains committed to mobilising businesses, investors, SMEs, and other stakeholders to build globally competitive export value chains that meet international standards.
He stressed that the policy comes at a time when global trade dynamics are evolving rapidly, making it necessary for Nigeria to diversify its export destinations and strengthen domestic production capacity.
According to him, the removal of tariffs on African goods entering China would improve the competitiveness of Nigerian products, increase foreign exchange earnings, create jobs, stimulate industrial growth, and support SME development.
The ACCI President also called for deliberate investments in agro-processing, storage facilities, logistics, quality control, packaging, and infrastructure to enable Nigerian businesses to fully benefit from the zero-tariff arrangement.
He urged governments at all levels to implement policies that support ease of doing business, export financing, and industrial development, while advocating stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop export-oriented industries.
Obegolu further encouraged youths and women entrepreneurs to take advantage of emerging opportunities in international trade, while cautioning that Nigeria must avoid remaining merely an exporter of raw materials.
Instead, he advocated increased local processing and value addition to improve the competitiveness of Nigerian products in the global market.
He reaffirmed the chamber’s commitment to promoting trade facilitation, enterprise development, industrial transformation, and sustainable economic growth, while encouraging Nigerian businesses to explore the vast Chinese market of over 1.4 billion consumers.
Chinese President Xi Jinping officially announced the zero-tariff policy for 53 African countries on February 14, 2026, during the 39th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with implementation commencing on May 1, 2026.
