By kalu Obasi Benjamin
The Trade Development Bureau of China has officially joined the 2026 West Africa Industrialisation, Manufacturing and Trade (IMT) Summit as a lead partner.
This partnership highlights a major change in how China and Nigeria do business. Instead of just buying and selling goods, the focus is shifting toward building factories and making long-term investments in the region. The timing of this announcement is significant because trade between the two nations is booming.
In the first ten months of 2025, trade reached over $22.3 billion, which is a 30% increase from the previous year. China is already heavily involved in Nigeria’s infrastructure and exports, and this summit aims to deepen those ties even further.
The event will be held from March 3–5, 2026, at the Landmark Centre in Lagos. The main theme focuses on speeding up sustainable industrial growth to bring more wealth to West Africa. It marks a special milestone as Nigeria and China celebrate 55 years of working together through diplomacy and trade.
Rather than just importing finished products from abroad, Nigerian leaders want Chinese companies to build production plants within Nigeria. The goal is to encourage “capacity building,” which means teaching local workers new skills, sharing advanced technology, and creating more jobs for the community.
The summit will host high-ranking officials, including Nigeria’s Minister of State for Industry and ministers from Benin, Senegal, and Ghana. By bringing these leaders together, the event serves as a powerful platform to align financial and industrial policies across West Africa.
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