Nigerian Exporters Urged to Leverage China's Zero-Tariff Policy

Emeka Obegolu, the President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), addressed Nigerian exporters, encouraging them to take advantage of China's recent announcement of a zero-tariff policy for African countries. This policy, announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping on February 14, 2026, during the 39th African Union Summit, is set to be implemented starting May 1, 2026.

Obegolu described this initiative as a significant strategic opportunity to reshape Nigeria's export performance and accelerate industrialization. He stressed the importance of diversifying Nigeria's economy away from oil, highlighting the urgent need to scale up the export of value-added products such as cocoa, sesame seeds, cashew nuts, ginger, leather products, and textiles.

Obegolu reaffirmed ACCI's commitment to mobilizing businesses and SMEs to build competitive export value chains that meet international quality standards. He cautioned that to fully realize the benefits of the zero-tariff policy, Nigeria must address structural constraints within its export ecosystem and invest in agro-processing, storage facilities, logistics infrastructure, and quality assurance systems.