The Trade Development Bureau of China’s Ministry of Commerce (TDB) signed up as a Strategic Country Partner for the West Africa Industrialisation, Manufacturing and Trade (West Africa IMT) Summit and Exhibition 2026, reinforcing a growing shift in Nigeria–China economic relations from expanding trade volumes to anchoring industrial production and long-term investment.

The organiser of the yearly summit, dmg Events, confirmed this yesterday in a statement.

China’s confirmation comes at a pivotal moment. Bilateral trade between Nigeria and China exceeded $22.3 billion in the first ten months of 2025 — a 30 per cent year-on-year increase, underscoring deepening commercial ties and Beijing’s expanding footprint across Nigerian infrastructure, manufacturing and export platforms.

As Nigeria marks 55 years of diplomatic and economic relations with China, policymakers on both sides have increasingly emphasised the need to move beyond trade expansion toward industrial capacity building, local production and value-added manufacturing.

Nigerian economic leaders have called for Chinese manufacturers to anchor production facilities within domestic industrial zones, enabling technology transfer, strengthening supply chains and accelerating job creation.

China’s role as a strategic country partner introduces an important diplomatic and commercial dimension to the critical summit.

The summit, themed ‘Accelerating West Africa’s Sustainable Industrial Revolution for Economic Prosperity’, will take place from March 3–5 in Lagos.

Confirmed participants of the summit include industry ministers of Nigeria, Benin, Senegal and Ghana. Industry leaders across related sectors will also participate in the event.