NIGERIA – CHINA BILATERAL RELATIONS AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA 2000 – 2025

Abstract

Over the years, Nigeria has suffered from infrastructural deficits in all sectors. As the population of the country kept increasing, there were no adequate measures put in place to improve the infrastructural shortfalls to cope with the increasing population. This paper examines the effects of Nigeria-China bilateral relations and infrastructural development in Nigeria with a focus on oil-for-infrastructure and loan-for-infrastructure. Studies have shown that since the year 2000, China has emerged as one of Nigeria’s largest trading and infrastructural development partners around the globe, with the trade volumes increasing significantly from $2.5 billion in the year 2000 to $15 billion in 2020, and the investment that China has made in Nigeria’s infrastructure has increased significantly, with over $20 billion invested in different sectors of economic development. Some of the areas of investment are transportation, energy, and agriculture. The objective of this study is to assess whether the Nigeria-China infrastructural development has a significant impact on Nigeria’s development. Lack of technological transfer from Chinese companies to Nigerian firms hinders the development of Nigeria’s manufacturing industries, thereby making the country more dependent on the finished goods from China. The study adopted the ex post facto research design using the qualitative method of data collection. The secondary source of data collection was adopted, which includes a review of existing relevant literature on Nigeria-China bilateral relations and infrastructural development in Nigeria. The study adopted the interdependence theory. It was discovered that Nigeria and China depend on each other for trade and investment. Though there was an increase in the debt profile amounting to about $195.5 million in 2020 for infrastructural development from China to Nigeria, China in turn purchases crude oil, mineral resources and other raw materials from Nigeria for their industrial use. It was recommended, among other things, that the Nigerian government should train Nigerians on how to use the latest equipment and machinery for infrastructure for development to avoid depending on China.