By Ayo Akinfe
Whoever wins Nigeria’s next election must waste no time in heading to Beijing with a revised version of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative — one that guarantees foreign direct investment in exchange for raw materials. This is the kind of bold diplomacy that can kickstart Nigeria’s industrialisation.
As part of this programme, Nigeria could enter into a five-year interim agreement pledging quantities of cocoa, coffee, crude oil, rubber, palm oil, groundnuts, coconuts, gum arabic, cassava, yam, papaya, pineapples, and more in exchange for $100 billion of foreign direct investment annually. Such a pact would provide the capital injection needed to transform our economy.
Security must also be part of the deal. Nigeria should request a platoon from China’s elite special forces — units like The Leopards, The Siberian Tigers, or The Night Tigers — to help eliminate Boko Haram and other terrorist threats once and for all. Industrialisation cannot thrive without peace
The bilateral agreement should compel China’s big four automobile manufacturers — SAIC Motor, Dongfeng, FAW, and Chang’an — to open a joint venture facility in Nigeria producing at least one million units annually. Nigeria could take a minority stake in this venture, which would manufacture a unique electric African car, perhaps named the Madiba. Each company must also establish global assembly plants in Nigeria, employing at least 20,000 Nigerians.
Rail and power infrastructure must be central to the pact. CRRC Corporation Limited, the world’s largest rolling stock manufacturer, should open a Nigerian facility to build train carriages for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. China Power Investment Corporation must construct six hydroelectric plants in Lokoja, Idah, Yola, Asaba, Makurdi, and Baro, generating 50,000MW of electricity. TBEA, China’s largest transformer manufacturer, must also establish a plant in Nigeria by 2028.
Steel production is non-negotiable. China must commit to reviving Nigeria’s Ajaokuta, Oshogbo, and Aladja steel plants, producing at least 5 million tonnes immediately and scaling to 20 million tonnes by 2030. Without steel, industrialisation is impossible.
Transport links must be visionary. In 2027, Nigeria should invite the Chinese premier to lay the foundation stone for a Lagos–Abuja high-speed railway line, modeled on China’s 1,318km Beijing–Shanghai line, which runs at 380km per hour. Along Nigeria’s 853km Atlantic coastline, China should build six deep-sea ports at Ayetoro, Warri, Brass, Opobo, Ikot-Abasi, and Calabar, capable of handling vessels of any size.
This is the scale of ambition Nigeria needs. Whoever emerges victorious in the next election must think beyond politics and embrace bold, practical partnerships that will transform Nigeria into an industrial powerhouse.
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