Mohammad Jahangir Alam

How To Import From China To Nigeria Nigeria has one of the biggest economies in the Africa continent. The GDP of Nigeria was raised to about $443 billion in 2020. Nigeria has the largest market in Africa, with a large population of 200 million. It has a very big export-import industry too. Nigeria imports goods from several countries. It is the 50th largest importing country in the world. Nigeria imports more than $47 billion equivalent goods from abroad in 2019. And you might be surprised that 25% of total importation (about $12 billion) comes from China. Ultimately, Nigeria is the trade heaven in West Africa, Africa as well. So, you might think of importing from China to Nigeria. We will elaborate on things about how to import goods from China to Nigeria in this guide. Table Of Content 1. The Facts You Should Know Before Importing From China To Nigeria 2. How To Order Goods To Import From China To Nigeria? 3. Transportations Availability From China To Nigeria 4. Available Shipping Companies From China To Nigeria 5. Importation Costs To Import From China To Nigeria 6. 7. 5.1. Average Freight Forwarding Costs 5.2. Average Carrier Costs 5.3. Sea Freight Costs 5.4. Air Freight Costs 5.5. Import Duties Importation Time: How Long Does Shipping From China To Nigeria Take? 6.1. Sea Freight Lead Time 6.2. Air Freight Lead Time Available Ocean Shipping Lines 8. Comparison Between Sea Freight And Air Freight. 9. What is Chargeable Weight And How To Calculate It? 10. Express Services From China And Nigeria 11. Required License And Documents To Import From China To Nigeria 11.1. How To Get An Importation License? 11.2. Quality Compliance Certificate (SONCAP) 11.3. Required Documents For Customs Clearance 12. What Can I Import From China To Nigeria? 13. How To Import Phones From China To Nigeria? 14. Prohibited Items To Import From China To Nigeria 15. Major Ports In Nigeria And China 15.1. Major Sea Ports In Nigeria 15.2. Major International Airports in Nigeria 15.3. Major Seaports in China 15.4. Major Airports in China 16. Payment Methods For Importations 17. Most Used Incoterms In Nigeria For Importations 18. Is It Profitable To Do Business By Importing From China To Nigeria? 19. Top Online Marketplaces In China For Purchasing Goods 20. Fulfillment By Jumia (FBJ) In Nigeria 1. The Facts You Should Know Before Importing From China To Nigeria There are several things to do before starting import in Nigeria from China. First of all you should prefer the best products to import from China to Nigeria. Since the market is big, you need to do proper homework to understand the market. Let’s evaluate how to import goods from China to Nigeria. You should do some basic tasks like, Product Research: Product and market research is the most essential thing to do before doing an importation business. You have to know in detail which product has the demand in the market, who are the users of the goods, selling quantity of goods, supply of the products in the market, etc. Ask yourself, “What can I Import from China to Nigeria”? Then choose the best products to import from China to Nigeria. Evaluation of the Importation Process: Evaluate the importation process in Nigeria. You might not be an expert, but you have to know a standard level of knowledge of importation processes like rules and regulations, documents needed, prohibited product lists, etc. Finding a Good Supplier: After doing domestic research, you must know the market of China. You have to find a supplier who can supply the necessary products you need with good pricing. Because you must be concerned about your profit. Finding a Trustworthy Freight Forwarder: You will find many freight forwarding services from China to Nigeria. But all of them are not trustworthy, efficient, or cost-effective. You should take your freight forwarding service from those who have an international standard. Hart Worldwide Logistics is one of the best freight forwarders in China with international standards. Fig 01 Nigeria's Map 2. How To Order Goods To Import From China To Nigeria? The beginning point of your importation is to order the products in China. There are several ways to order products from China. Which method of the order you use doesn’t matter, but you have to be ascertained about the safety and security of the order that would reach Nigeria safely. Let’s talk about the order methods. Use Chinese Sourcing Agent: Chinese sourcing agents are those who find and order goods for you in China. Most of them have a wide network of suppliers and manufacturers. What you have to do, you need to place your requirements on them. They will determine the MOQ, costs, lead time of shipping and make a list of suppliers and manufacturers. They will describe the possible advantages and disadvantages of getting goods from different suppliers and manufacturers. This will help you to choose the best one. Using a Chinese sourcing agent might slow down the importation process since you are using a third medium for ordering products. But, it will lessen your hassle of finding good products to import from China to Nigeria. Directly Order the Goods from a Chinese Factory or Supplier: If you are old enough in the importation industry, you can order your goods directly from a Chinese supplier or factory. It will be cost-effective and more profitable as you can go with direct negotiation with the manufacturer or supplier. Also, you will have control over your order. You can ask for a sample. If everything is okay, you can move ahead with your order. Online Marketplaces: Another way to order your goods from China to Nigeria is through online marketplaces. The leading online marketplaces in China to Nigeria are DHGate, Alibaba, AliExpress, etc. Let’s check a brief video that how to import from China to Nigeria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0a4WNJy5Js&t=115s 3. Transportations Availability From China To Nigeria So, how to import from China to Nigeria? Which shipping methods are available? There are two ways to import Nigeria from China. They are Sea Freight and Air Freight. You can ship your goods from China to Nigeria by air freight. Nigeria has eight main seaports with very advanced equipment, so sea freight is one of the most advanced options from China to Nigeria. Nigeria not only undertakes its own foreign trades but also the foreign trade of many West African countries. There are 2 types of sea freight also, ● FCL- Full Container Load (FCL) is a shipping method where you have to hire and pay the bill of the entire container of a ship. It is suitable while you are importing a large number of goods from China to Nigeria. ● LCL- Less than Container Load (LCL) is a shipping method where you can ship your goods sharing with other importers and you will not have to pay the full bill of an entire container. 4. Available Shipping Companies From China To Nigeria As one of the biggest economy holders in Africa, there are a lot of shipping companies that will help how to import goods from China to Nigeria.. Bigger to smaller, you will find all types of freight forwarders and carriers that ship goods from China to Nigeria. Let’s check the following lists of freight forwarders and shipping lines that you can use to import from China to Nigeria. Freight Forwarders ● HART Worldwide Logistics ● DHL Global ● EVERGREEN Logistics ● Africa Freights S.L. ● Cambel Shipping and Logistics ● Cargo Worth Alliance & Logistics Ltd. ● Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria ● Distinctcushy Freight ● EarlyStar Logistics Cargo Limited ● Laddercross Logistics Limited ● Lechwe Maritime & Logistics Ltd. etc. Fig 02- HART Worldwide Logistics Shipping Lines ● Maersk ● COSCO ● China Shipping ● American President Lines ● Evergreen Shipping company ● China Airlines ● Air China Cargo ● Lufthansa Airlines ● Cathay Pacific Airlines ● CX ● CK ● PIL, etc. So, you see, you will not be worried about how to import from China to Nigeria. So many shipping companies and lines are here to help you out about the importation to Nigeria from China. Fig 03- Maersk shipping Line 5. Importation Costs To Import From China To Nigeria You will see different types of costs when you want to import from China to Nigeria. We categorized them into different sections. Let’s have a look at them. 5.1 Average Freight Forwarding Costs Surely, you have come to know what freight forwarding is. Freight forwarding means, by the way, shipping goods from one place to another place. Those who do the freight forwarding are called freight forwarders. There are several departments of costs when you are sending your goods through a freight forwarder from China to Nigeria, such, ● Picking up cost ● Documentation costs ● Moving cost ● Shipping lines’ costs ● Delivery charges ● Warehousing charges ● Logistic charges ● Customs charges ● Freight forwarding fees, etc. A freight forwarder determines the freight forwarding costs based on the mentioned entities above. 5.2. Average Carrier Costs Shipping cost is actually the carrier cost. There are several entities that impact the shipping costs of goods to import from China to Nigeria. The weight and height of the packages, season, distances between ports, shipping types, port costs, etc. are the main reasons behind the changes in the shipping cost. On average, the ocean shipping cost varies from $2500 to $3500 from China to Nigeria for a 20ft container for FCL. A $4000 to $7000 is the cost for a 40ft container for FCL to ship from China to Nigeria. For LCL, you will have to pay $150 to $200 per Cubic Meter (CBM). On the other hand, the air shipping cost from China to Nigeria may vary from $ 3 to $10 per kg. For express shipping, it might be $30 to $150 per kg. We will discuss the shipping cost broadly in a later section of the article. HART Worldwide Logistics is a logistic company from China to Nigeria that offers the cheapest shipping from China to Nigeria for their valuable customers. 5.3 Sea Freight Costs Sea freight from China to Nigeria is one of the reliable shipping methods. It has a large capacity for shipping, which eases the large shipments for deploying. There are several modes for sea shipment from China to Nigeria. They are LCL and FCL. FCL has another 2 container modes, 20ft, and 40 ft. Fig 04-40ft Container In LCL, you can pay either per kg or per CBM. The distance between China and Nigeria through the ocean route is on average 11500 Nautical Miles. As expected the cost will be higher comparatively. Let’s check the shipping cost for 20ft containers from China’s different ports to Nigeria’s different ports. Loading China Port in Destination in Nigeria Port Costs for Container 20ft Costs for 40t Container Port of Shanghai Port of Lagos $2500- $3500 $3500-$4500 Port of Shenzhen Port of Lagos $2000-$3000 $3500-$4000 Port of Ningbo Port of Lagos $2500- $3500 $3500-$4500 Port of Guangzhou Port of Lagos $2000-$3000 $3500-$4000 Port of Shenzhen Port of Odudu $1800-$2700 $3500-$4000 Port of Shenzhen Port Harcourt $2000-$3000 $3500-$4000 Port of Xiamen Port Harcourt $2000-$3000 $3500-$4500 Port of Shanghai Yoho Terminal $2200-$3200 $3500-$4500 Port of Shenzhen Okwori Terminal $2000-$3000 $3500-$4500 Port of Tianjin Port of Lagos $2500-$3500 $4000-$5000 of Port of Lagos $2000-$3000 $3500-$4500 Port of Port Dalian 5.4 Air Freight Costs Air shipping from China to Nigeria is the fastest and expensive shipping method. It is expected that the shipping from China to Nigeria through the air would be higher than the sea shipping. Also, many other entities play a role to differentiate the Air Freight Costs to import from China to Nigeria. They are the weight of the goods, dimension of the packages, product type, product quantity, port selection, and so on. On average, you have to pay for air freight $3 to $10 per kg for your goods’ shipment. HART Worldwide Logistics is one of your cheap shipping agents from China to Nigeria that offers minimal air shipping rates for your shipments by air. 5.5 Import Duties The customs tariff varies in Nigeria from 5% to 60%. But the average tariff is 12% of the total value of the goods in most cases. On the other hand, all imports are subject to the 7% of port surcharge, and 5% of Value Added Tax (VAT). 6. Importation Time: How Long Does Shipping From China To Nigeria Take? There is a significant distance between China and Nigeria. As you have two ways of transportation, the transportation time will be varying from each other. Let’s check the lead time for sea freight and air freight from China to Nigeria. 6.1 Sea Freight Lead Time The distance between China and Nigeria through the ocean route is on average 11500 Nautical Miles. So, as expected, the shipping time through sea freight will be a little longer for products to import from China to Nigeria. There are many ports both in China and Nigeria. Variations of distances amongst the ports also impact the shipping time through the ocean freight. Fig 05- Sea Freight So, as expected, the shipping time from different ports to different ports is also different. Let’s check the different shipping times through the sea freight from China to Nigeria in the following table. Loading Port in China Destination Nigeria Port in Shipping Time Port of Shanghai Port of Lagos 25- 35 days Port of Shenzhen Port of Lagos 25- 35 days Port of Ningbo Port of Lagos 30- 40 days Port of Guangzhou Port of Lagos 25- 30 days Port of Shenzhen Port of Odudu 20- 30 days Port of Shenzhen Port Harcourt 20- 30 days Port of Xiamen Port Harcourt 20- 30 days Port of Shanghai Yoho Terminal 25- 35 days Port of Shenzhen Okwori Terminal 20-30 days Port of Tianjin Port of Lagos 30- 40 days Port of Port of Dalian Port of Lagos 25- 35 days 6.2 Air Freight Lead Time Air freight is expensive though, also it is the fastest way of shipping from China to Nigeria as well. You will get your products imported from China to Nigeria by air in much less time than sea freight. On average, the air freight time from China to Nigeria is 7 to 8 days from Guangzhou airport to the Abuja airport of Nigeria. Fig 06- Air Freight Cargo But in air shipping, the port-to-port distances also impact the shipping time as well. The time will be less when you send products from Hong Kong to Lagos airport. The time will be 6 to 7 working days. Let’s check the table below for different air transit times from China to Nigeria for different airports. Origin Airport Destination Airport Transit Time Guangzhou Airport Abuja Airport 9-11 Days Shanghai Airport Abuja Airport 7-8 Days Shenzhen Airport Abuja Airport 7-8 Days Shenzhen Airport Lagos Int. Airport 6-7 Days Hong Kong Int. Airport Lagos Int. Airport 6-7 Days 7. Available Ocean Shipping Lines As Nigeria has one of the largest economies in Africa, so, almost all major ocean shipping lines would want to operate their operations from China to Nigeria. As expected, there are a lot of shipping lines, those who are shipping from China to Nigeria. Almost every Major ocean shipping line is available from China to Nigeria. So, you would not be tense about sea shipping transportation that is how to import from China to Nigeria. Let’s have a look at the list of the sea shipping lines that are available from China to Nigeria. ● EVERGREEN Shipping Lines ● Maersk Shipping Lines ● Mediterranean Shipping Company- MSC ● CMA CGM ● COSCO Shipping Lines ● American President Line-APL ● Pacific International Lines-PIL ● Yang Ming ● Orient Overseas Container Line- OOCL, etc. Fig 07- Pacific International Line 8. Comparison Between Sea Freight And Air Freight. So, there are different aspects of both sea freight and air of their own. For your shipment, we cannot directly suggest a certain method between the two. Because you might have a lot of needs that either sea freight can meet or air freight. First, let’s check some different features of both sea freight and air freight to import from China to Nigeria. Sea Freight ● Sea freight is less expensive but the slowest shipping method ● It has a large capacity of shipping, which is much more than the air freight ● Sea freight offers LCL with as much as space you need, also offers FCL for hiring the whole container. ● It’s safe and reliable ● Need more transit and customs clearance time ● Happens time delay in sea freight ● Port formalities take more times Air Freight ● Air freight from China to Nigeria is the fastest way of shipping, but more expensive than sea freight ● It is safe, secure, and reliable ● There are weight limits for air freight ● No much time delay; also can cover the time delay because the flights take off continuously with a few hours gap. ● Need fewer times for customs clearance, and customs clearance is easier than sea freight. So, you see the differences between both sea and air freight? You might not be in a hurry to get the goods imported in a short time, also you might want to keep the shipping cost low. The sea freight is then the preferred one, you might choose for your shipment. On the other hand, You might have to hurry to get your goods imported in the shortest time possible. Also, the shipping cost might be 15-20% of the total value of your goods. In certain cases, air freight is the most suitable shipping method for your shipment from China to Nigeria. So, the choice is yours based upon your type of needs and which shipping method you should choose for your shipment. 9. What is Chargeable Weight And How To Calculate It? You have 2 shipping methods available for shipping from China to Nigeria; sea freight and air freight. Calculating chargeable weight is different for the different shipping methods. Let’s check both separately. Calculating Chargeable Weight for Sea Freight There are two modes of shipping in sea freight. One is FCL, and another is LCL. FCL is for those who are sending a bulk shipment from China to Nigeria. In FCL, you can hire the entire container, and have to pay the total shipping charges of the entire container. The container size could be 20ft or 40ft both. On the Other hand, in LCL, you will get the advantages of booking spaces as much as you need. This mode is ideal for shipping small shipments from China to Nigeria. In this case, you have the advantage of paying shipping charges for the spaces you hired. It might be per kg, or per CBM both. Calculating Chargeable Weight for Air Freight In air freight, you will find two ways to calculate the chargeable weight. These are Gross Weight and Volumetric Weight. From these two types of weight, the air authority will consider the bigger one as the chargeable weight. How will they be calculated then? Let’s check. Suppose you are shipping 1000 kg of goods in a box which weighs 200 kg. In this case, the gross weight of your shipment is the combined weight of the goods and the box you are using for the shipment. That means the gross weight is = 1200 kg. On the other hand, the dimension of your goods’ box is = Length: 3 meters, Height: 2 meters, and width: 1.5 meters. So, the volume of the box = 3 X 2 X 1.5= 9 CBM The air conversion factor for converting the CBM to the kg is 167. So, the volumetric weight of your goods is= 9 X 167= 1503 kg. Now we see the difference between the 2 weights. Here the volumetric weight is bigger in number than the gross weight. In this case, the air authority will consider the volumetric weight as the chargeable weight of the shipment. And they will impose the shipping charges on the volumetric weight. 10. Express Services From China And Nigeria Express shipping is the premium shipping from China to Nigeria. Express services are the fastest services of shipping. Though express shipping also takes place through air freight, this is a premium mode of shipping along with faster delivery than the normal air freight. Also, express shipping is more expensive than normal air freight. Express shipping is available from China to Nigeria, by the way, and express shipping is preferable for the best products to import from China to Nigeria. All major express service companies operate their operations from China to Nigeria such as, ● DHL Global ● FedEx ● TNT ● USPS ● China Post ● UPS ● China Express The fact of joy is that HART Worldwide Logistics is a shipping company that has liaisons with the major express shipping companies from China to Nigeria. You will get a huge discount for express shipping costs from HART than the other express services because the HART ships bulk shipments through major express shipping companies. That is why HART can offer a significantly less shipping rate than the express services directly, even though deploying shipment through them. Fig 08- DHL Express 11. Required License And Documents To Import From China To Nigeria You will be needing several licenses and documents for importing from China to Nigeria. You will also be needing specific documents for products category and customs clearance as well. Here we discussed them separately. Let’s move. 11.1 How To Get An Importation License? The fact of the import license is, there is no incorporated license that can cover all criteria for importing various goods from foreign countries to Nigeria. An import license in Nigeria gets approval from various agencies of the legal authority of Nigeria that regulates all importations of an importer. Different licenses are issued by different regulatory commissions and agencies of the government of Nigeria for different importations. You have to obtain an E-Form M for importation in China. To Obtain an E-Form M, first, you have to complete some initial tasks. You have to, ● Open a company for importation, registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission with a certificate of incorporation. ● Attain a TAX Identification Number (TIN) from the FIRS- Federal Inland Revenue Services for proving yourself as a TAX payer with the attachment of a valid email id. ● Must open a bank account in a reputed bank of Nigeria to act as an Authorized Dealer Bank (ADB) which will issue the E-Form M and PAAR. ● Have an Insurance Certificate ● Have a NAFDAC import permit if you are importing drugs and health departmentrelated goods. ● Register as a client of Nigeria Single Window Trade Portal (NSW) provides you a portal for trades ● Pay the determined fees for applying for the E-Form M Now you are ready to apply for the E-Form M. The Process for Getting the E-Form M The E-Form M is a compulsory document for monitoring the imported goods from foreign countries. This is regulated by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Finance the Central Bank of Nigeria. After having all pre procedures for getting the E-Form M, you will be having an online form. Then submit your online form to your ADB with an insurance certificate, regulatory certificate, and proforma certificate. The ADB will verify and validate the online form for acceptance and will forward this to Nigeria Customs Services (NCS) for approval. With the other necessary pre-documented documents, either NCS will accept the application or reject it. If the NCS accepts the application, the importer will send a copy of E-Form M to his exporter, then the exporter will be able to send goods to Nigeria with other required documents. Fig 09- E-Form M 11.2 Quality Compliance Certificate (SONCAP) You will have to be issued with a product certificate for the compliance of your products is called SONCAP. SONCAP stands for Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Program. SONCAP issues 3 types of compliances for your goods. They are called routes. They are, 1. Route A, or Unregistered/ Unlicensed products This compliance certificate is mainly used for the importers who do not import in Nigeria frequently. Generally, they import unlicensed or unregistered goods in Nigeria infrequently. 2. Route B, or Registered Products Exporters, manufacturers, or importers, those who export or import goods in Nigeria frequently are required to apply for the SONCAp certificate under the registered products. You (the exporter, manufacturer, or importer) have to keep the consistency of quality of the products for a long period of time to apply for this certificate. 3. Route C, or Licensed Products If you passed with the compliance of route B with the consistency of quality, you are now qualified to apply for route C. After the certification of your goods with route C, your goods become the licensed products in Nigeria. Fig 10- SONCAP Certificate for Unregistered Products 11.3 Required Documents For Customs Clearance Pre-Arrival Assessment Report PAAR is a document that is needed to clear the imported goods from Nigerian customs. A legal and valid PAAR report will be approved by the NCS, and then you will be able to clear your goods from Nigerian customs. The PAAR is an online application system used by the Nigeria Customs Services. Individually or personally, you can not access the system. Only your ADB can access and manage the system on your behalf. After sending the E-Form M to the exporter, the exporter will send the pre-import documents to the ADB with details of importing goods from China to Nigeria. These pre-import documents are known as the final documents for importing goods from other countries to Nigeria. The ADB will send the final documents to the NCS with other necessary documents for declaring the goods and clearing the customs such, ● E-Form M ● TIN Number ● Insurance Certificate ● Agency Certificate ( NAFDAC for food products, SONCAP for manufactured goods) ● Bill of Lading for sea freight, or Airway Bill for air freight ● Packing List ● Commercial Invoice ● CCVO (Combined Certificate of Value and Origin), etc. Then the NCS will give approval for the imported goods to enter Nigeria and you can clear them from the customs. 12. What Can I Import From China To Nigeria? There are a lot of items that you can import from China to Nigeria. You have not to be worried about the question of “what can I import from China to Nigeria?”. Since there are some specific items that are more demandable in the Nigerian markets, you could prioritize those items. These will be more beneficial for importation business from China to Nigeria. Here are some of them. ● Children’s toy ○ The flying helicopter, kid’s car, kid’s bicycle ● Furniture ● Electrical gadgets and appliances ○ Tablets, laptops, earpieces, smartphones, storage cards, etc. ● Fashion accessories ○ Footwear, kid’s clothing, wristwatches, jewelry, makeup kits, sportswear ● Building materials ● Office and home appliances ○ Desktop computer, CCTV camera, printer and scanner ○ Office safe, projectors ○ Auto parts, car doors, tires, and other essential parts ○ Batteries ○ Agricultural equipment, and many more. There are many more items that are being sold fast in the Nigerian market. You should research more to find the best products from China to Nigeria. You can watch the video for the top 5 most profitable goods for importation business from China to Nigeria. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkhZUdL56J8 13. How To Import Phones From China To Nigeria? You can purchase phones in China at wholesale price for selling in Nigeria, or retail price for personal use from the manufacturers, or suppliers. You can order online from the biggest marketplaces in China like Alibaba, AliExpress etc. You will get significant discounts and low wholesale prices from the online marketplaces, also from the direct manufacturer as well. Mobile phones are one of the best profitable products to import from China to Nigeria. 14. Prohibited Items To Import From China To Nigeria In every country, there is a list of items that are prohibited in that certain country to get imported from other countries. This prohibition represents the culture and customs of the country as well. As expected, Nigeria also has some items that are prohibited in Nigeria to import from China, even wherever from worldwide. The following list contains the prohibited items’ names. ● Pork ● Alcohol, drugs, and narcotics ● Pharmaceuticals wastage ● Motor vehicles that are used for over 15 years since the manufacturing ● Wastage of nuclear instance and industrial ● Second-hand clothing or wears ● Water ● A medicament that falls under the headings of 3003 and 304 ● Carpets and certain floor covering ● Bagged cement ● Crumpled paper and paperboards ● Used compressors and used fridges and freezers You should not attempt to import the prohibited item in Nigeria. The Nigerian customs will not allow you to import them for your importation business from China to Nigeria. Rather focus on the best products to import from China to Nigeria which will be beneficial for your importation business from China to Nigeria. 15. Major Ports In Nigeria And China You already know how to import goods from China to Nigeria. But, you might not know about major ports in China and Nigeria. There are a number of seaports and airports in Nigeria. As the biggest economy holder in West Africa, it is expected to have a number of ports in Nigeria though. And as one of the biggest economy holders in the world, China has numerous ports both sea and air. We will present to you different lists of sea and airports both in Nigeria and China. 15.1 Major Seaports in Nigeria 1. Lagos Port Complex 2. Port of Odudu 3. Port Harcourt 4. Yoho Terminal 5. Okwori Terminal 6. Tin Can Island Port 7. Calabar Port Complex 8. Rivers Port Authority 9. Delta Port 10. Onne Port Fig 11- Port of Lagos in Nigeria 15.2 Major International Airports in Nigeria 1. Abuja International Airport 2. Anambra International Airport 3. Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport 4. Akanu Ibiam International Airport 5. Ilorin International Airport 6. Murtala Muhammed International Airport 7. Port Harcourt International Airport 8. Sadiq Abubakar III International Airport 9. Kaduna International Airport 10. Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport Fig 12- Abuja International Airport in Nigeria 15.3 Major Seaports in China 1. Port of Shanghai 2. Port of Shenzhen 3. Port of Qingdao 4. Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan 5. Port of Hong Kong 6. Port of Guangzhou 7. Port of Tianjin 8. Port of Dalian 9. Port of Yingkou 10. Port of Xiamen 15.4 Major Airports in China 1. Beijing Capital International Airport 2. Shanghai Pudong International Airport 3. Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport 4. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport 5. Hong Kong International Airport 6. Xian Xianyang International Airport 7. Kunming Changshui International Airport 8. Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport 9. Nanjing Lukou International Airport 10. Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport 16. Payment Methods For Importations There are many payment methods for paying to the Chinese manufacturers, or suppliers. But, among them, 5 are the most popular. They are, 1. Telegraphic Transfer/TT- You will have to pay through your ADB by depositing 30% of the payment in advance. After manufacturing and delivering the goods to the destination port of your country, you will have to balance the rest 70% of the payment. It might seem unsafe but actually is not. Most of the Chinese manufacturers or exporters accept this payment method, and it is also safe. 2. Letter of Credit/LC- In this payment method, your ADB will pay the payment to the exporter after reaching goods to you, and your bank verifies the shipment. This is safe but not that popular with the manufacturers. Because this is a hassle for the manufacturer or the exporters to get the payments for a long time. 3. Paypal: Paypal is generally used for small and sample orders. Due to the high transaction fee rates, it is not used for large payments in Nigeria. 4. Payoneer- You can pay through the Payoneer. It has solutions for both sending money and receiving payment. 5. Alibaba Trade Assurance- Alibaba Trade insurance is the same as the Letter of Credit. The only difference here is the exporters have to deliver the shipment on time, and products meet the quality required. For details about the payment methods, this payment method guide will help you in an utmost way. 17. Most Used Incoterms In Nigeria For Importations Incoterms: To determine the responsibilities and liabilities of importers, exporters, transporters, and anyone involved with a shipping transaction, the International Chamber of Commerce publishes a set of terms. These terms are known as International Commercial Terms or Incoterms. Incoterms clarify the confusion of international trade contracts between buyers and sellers. Let’s check some most used Incoterms in importing from China to Nigeria. DDP DDP or Delivery Duty Paid is a type of shipping method where the seller bears all responsibilities. The seller will take the risk, bear the cost of shipping until they reach the buyer. It is mainly used for overseas shipping. DDU Under the term of DDU, the buyer will pay the customs clearance charges and customs duties. All other responsibilities are on the seller or the exporter. FOB When a selling contract is signed, either the seller or the buyer will take the liability for the shipment of the product. This selling term is known as FOB or Free on Board shipment. In short, the seller will be liable if the FOB Shipping Point contract is signed, and the buyer will be liable if the FOB Destination contract is signed. CIF Cost, Insurance, and Freight(CIF) is an expense paid by the seller while loading the goods in a transport ship. Until the goods are loaded to a transport ship, the seller will bear all costs of any loss or damage. He also bears the expense of any paperwork needed. EXW EXW or Ex-Work is a trading term where the seller makes products available in a predetermined location. After that, all responsibilities lay on the buyer. He will bear all types of expenses like loading, transporting, or any other cost. 18. Is It Profitable To Do Business By Importing From China To Nigeria? Nigeria has one of the biggest economies and markets in the Africa continent. It has also the biggest economy and market in West Africa. Since every necessary product is not produced in Nigeria, there is always a big demand for hundreds of products that have to be imported from China or other countries. For continuous demand of products, products are sold fast in Nigeria imported from china. Since there is a huge market and demand, importing is a profitable business in Nigeria we can say. 19. Top Online Marketplaces In China For Purchasing Goods There are a number of online marketplaces in China for purchasing and ordering goods for importing in Nigeria. Here is a list of top online marketplaces in China. ● Alibaba.com ● AliExpress ● Amazon.cn ● Taobao ● Tmall Global ● JD Worldwide ● Kaola ● Jumia Fig 13- Alibaba Group 20. Fulfillment By Jumia (FBJ) In Nigeria Jumia is an online marketplace in Africa like Amazon that provides online market solutions and fulfillment services for online sellers. It has fulfillment that facilitates warehousing for online sellers, and they don’t need any physical warehousing of their own, and not to pay for warehousing support separately. It is getting popular day by day in African countries among online sellers. Jumia operates its services in Nigeria along with many countries in Africa. Fig 14- Jumia Conclusion We tried to enlighten the facts about how to import from China to Nigeria and other necessary facts. As the trade between China and Nigeria is an established fact, knowing about import-export between China and Nigeria for the importers in Nigeria is a must. You should properly research and study the facts before starting your business. Doing import-export with a basic study would be fruitful at all. You can also take consultations from companies that are experts in the industry. HART is one of them. You could contact us with your requirements, we are at your service.