China has announced it will remove tariffs on goods from Nigeria and 52 other African nations with which it maintains diplomatic relations.

The move offers duty- and quota-free market access to least developed countries (LDCs), including many in Africa.

Reuters reports that the plan will level the playing field by also offering middle-income countries similar market access.

China plans to remove tariffs

Reuters reports that the no-tariff plan was first discussed after a meeting of senior Chinese officials with African foreign ministers in Changsha to review the implementation of commitments made during a summit in Beijing in September 2024.

China's foreign ministry said:

"China is ready to... welcome quality products from Africa to the Chinese market"

The deal, part of a broader economic pact being negotiated, extends China’s duty- and quota-free market access to all African partners, not just the least developed countries (LDCs) as previously structured.

Previously, only low-income African countries like Tanzania and Mali benefited from such trade preferences.

The new policy, however, levels the playing field by allowing middle-income countries, including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco to access the Chinese market on similar terms.

Analysts say the development could significantly benefit nations with established manufacturing and value-added sectors, helping to reduce Africa’s chronic trade deficit with China.

In 2024, China enjoyed a $62 billion trade surplus over the continent, largely due to its high-volume exports of manufactured goods.

In the first quarter of 2025, the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that China remained Nigeria’s top trading partner on the import side, with N4.66 trillion spent on Chinese goods.

However, China was noticeably absent on the export side.

Hannah Ryder, founder of the Africa-focused consultancy Development Reimagined, explained what the new China deal could mean:

"Unless we have an equivalent increase of African exports to China, then trade deficits will continue to increase." She added that China’s tariff removal:

“Enables middle-income countries like Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Morocco... to be able to now enter the Chinese market duty-free.”