Nigeria imported goods worth N11.01 trillion from China in the first half of 2026, accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the country’s total imports, amid growing concerns by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control over Chinese-linked counterfeit networks.
An analysis by The PUNCH of the latest Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics reports released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that imports from China rose from N5.10tn in the first quarter to N5.92tn in the second quarter.
The combined N11.01tn represented 39.27 per cent of Nigeria’s N28.04tn total imports between January and June 2026, indicating that almost N4 out of every N10 spent on imported goods during the period went to products originating from China.
China’s share of Nigeria’s imports also increased considerably from the corresponding period of last year. NBS data showed that Nigeria imported N4.66tn from China in Q1 2025 and N4.96tn in Q2, bringing the first-half figure to N9.62tn.
This means imports from China increased by N1.39tn, or 14.49 per cent, to N11.01tn in H1 2026. The increase occurred despite a contraction in Nigeria’s overall import bill. Total imports fell from N33.14tn in the first half of 2025 to N28.04tn in H1 2026, representing a decline of 15.37 per cent.
Consequently, China’s share of Nigeria’s imports jumped from 29.03 per cent in the first half of 2025 to 39.27 per cent in the corresponding period of 2026, an increase of more than 10 percentage points.
The development reinforces China’s position as Nigeria’s largest source of imported goods. In Q1 2026, Nigeria’s total imports stood at N13.62tn, an 18.17 per cent decline from N16.64tn in the corresponding period of 2025.
China supplied N5.10tn worth of the imports, representing 37.42 per cent of the total. The United States ranked second with N2.81tn, while India followed with N992.87bn.
The concentration deepened in the following three months. Imports from China rose by 16.09 per cent quarter-on-quarter to N5.92tn in Q2, equivalent to 41.02 per cent of Nigeria’s N14.42tn total imports during the period.
The United States, Nigeria’s second-largest source of imports in the quarter, accounted for only N1.01tn or 6.97 per cent, while India supplied N924.46bn or 6.41 per cent. The Netherlands and Germany accounted for N409.81bn and N395.87bn, respectively.
The figures showed that China supplied almost six times as many goods to Nigeria as the United States in Q2. Compared with Q2 2025, imports from China increased by N955.58bn or 19.26 per cent from N4.96tn, even as Nigeria’s total imports fell by 12.55 per cent year-on-year.
The growing value of Chinese imports comes amid renewed concerns about counterfeit and substandard products in the Nigerian market.
Online discourse surrounding the rise of fake items reached a fever pitch recently. Nigerians, including influencers like Scott Iguma and Aproko Doctor, raised the alarm over the rise of these counterfeit materials. Social media posts have gone viral about fake toothpastes, creams, contaminated bottled water and adulterated yoghurt drinks.
NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, earlier told The PUNCH that the agency had uncovered what it described as a new trend involving some Chinese counterfeiters operating within Nigeria.
According to him, investigations indicated that some operators identify popular products in the Nigerian market, arrange for their replication and use logistics networks to distribute the counterfeits.
He said the practice had changed from an earlier model under which Nigerian counterfeiters travelled to China to arrange production.
Iluyomade said, “Before, to fake a product, you needed to go to China to bring it. Now, you don’t need to go. They are here (in Nigeria) with us. They are the ones who will identify the product that will be moving, send it to their country (China), and then come here and distribute it to our people (Nigerians) without having to travel.
Describing it as a “new trend making it (fake goods situation) look this serious,” he noted that NAFDAC discovered the “Chinese people (counterfeiters) own the logistics companies which they used to bring these (fake goods) things.”
The official added that NAFDAC had been closing logistics companies allegedly connected to the distribution networks as part of efforts to disrupt the supply of counterfeit products.
However, the agency’s allegations do not suggest that the N11.01tn worth of imports from China were counterfeit. The scale of Chinese trade, nevertheless, highlights the size of the supply chain requiring regulatory oversight at Nigeria’s borders and within the domestic market.
Further analysis showed that China’s dominance was even greater within Nigeria’s trade with Asia. Imports from Asia amounted to N7.55tn in Q1 and N8.56tn in Q2, taking the first-half figure to N16.12tn. China’s N11.01tn accounted for 68.34 per cent of the total.
According to him, investigations indicated that some operators identify popular products in the Nigerian market, arrange for their replication and use logistics networks to distribute the counterfeits.
He said the practice had changed from an earlier model under which Nigerian counterfeiters travelled to China to arrange production.
Iluyomade said, “Before, to fake a product, you needed to go to China to bring it. Now, you don’t need to go. They are here (in Nigeria) with us. They are the ones who will identify the product that will be moving, send it to their country (China), and then come here and distribute it to our people (Nigerians) without having to travel.
Describing it as a “new trend making it (fake goods situation) look this serious,” he noted that NAFDAC discovered the “Chinese people (counterfeiters) own the logistics companies which they used to bring these (fake goods) things.”
The official added that NAFDAC had been closing logistics companies allegedly connected to the distribution networks as part of efforts to disrupt the supply of counterfeit products.
However, the agency’s allegations do not suggest that the N11.01tn worth of imports from China were counterfeit. The scale of Chinese trade, nevertheless, highlights the size of the supply chain requiring regulatory oversight at Nigeria’s borders and within the domestic market.
Further analysis showed that China’s dominance was even greater within Nigeria’s trade with Asia. Imports from Asia amounted to N7.55tn in Q1 and N8.56tn in Q2, taking the first-half figure to N16.12tn. China’s N11.01tn accounted for 68.34 per cent of the total.
Consequently, Nigeria imported N18tn worth of manufactured goods in the first six months of 2026, equivalent to 64.16 per cent of the country’s total import bill. Beyond the volume of imports, the NBS figures revealed a wide imbalance in Nigeria’s merchandise trade with China.
Nigeria exported N582.20bn worth of goods to China in Q1 and N506.57bn in Q2, bringing exports to the country to N1.09tn in the first half of 2026. With imports standing at N11.01tn, Nigeria consequently recorded an estimated N9.92tn merchandise trade deficit with China during the six-month period.
The figures mean that for every N1 worth of goods Nigeria exported to China, it imported about N10.11 worth of goods from the Asian country. Nigeria’s exports to China represented only about 2.26 per cent of its N48.19tn total exports during the period, further illustrating the imbalance in bilateral merchandise trade.
Meanwhile, NAFDAC has intensified enforcement against counterfeit and substandard products following growing public concerns about the circulation of fake medicines, food products, cosmetics and other regulated goods.
The agency said it had secured 64 convictions for counterfeiting offences between June 2025 and June 2026, while investigations and enforcement operations had resulted in seizures and destruction of large quantities of unregistered and counterfeit products.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, also disclosed that the agency had destroyed or seized more than N1.54tn worth of fake and substandard regulated products nationwide since 2023.
In a related development, Organised Private Sector operators said counterfeiting was eroding profits, discouraging investment and pushing legitimate producers out of business.
Speaking earlier with The PUNCH, the Vice Chairman, Lagos Chapter of the National Association of Small-Scale Industrialists, Peter Popoola, said counterfeiting was hurting members of his association in multiple ways.
“Counterfeiting reduces our sales and profits. It also damages the reputation of legitimate brands because the consumer may not know the difference until he uses the product and it turns out bad,” Popoola said.
He explained that small businesses lacked the financial muscle to protect their products from imitators. “The cost of protecting our products and taking possible legal action is high. SMEs’ finances are generally limited; we cannot afford it. It slows down our growth and leads to job losses,” he stated.
Popoola described counterfeiting as “evil” and destructive to lives, property and investment. He blamed the recurring cycle of counterfeiting on weak political will, corruption and widespread poverty, noting that many consumers deliberately sought cheaper, fake alternatives despite knowing the risks. “When the original wire sells for N2,000 and the fake sells for N1,000, people go for the fake one. In a month, the wire cuts,” the NASSI executive said.
He called for government-backed grants and low-interest credit facilities to help genuine small manufacturers scale up production, alongside consumer credit schemes that would make quality products more affordable.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Spectra Industries Limited, Duro Kuteyi, said dwindling household incomes were driving Nigerians toward counterfeit products. “There is not much money in the pocket, so everybody is looking for cheap items, and that is where counterfeiters gain access to the market,” Kuteyi said.
The renowned manufacturer urged consumers to watch for tell-tale signs of fake goods, from poorly positioned labels to soft drinks without gas.
