The Political Economy of China’s Investment in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria’s transition to civil rule in 1999 and the eventual consolidation of a liberalized economy by successive administrations have resulted in the signing of several business deals with the Chinese government and Chinese enterprises. A key agreement was the establishment of two Chinese constructed and operated special economic zones in Lagos and Ogun States as part of a plan to create zones in five countries under the auspices of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). The hope was that zones would attract Chinese manufacturing businesses and help Nigeria diversify the economy away from oil dependency. This chapter will investigate the relationship between China and Nigeria in general with a focus on textile production and trade and the nature of the zones in particular to assess if China’s growing presence in Nigeria is in the image of Prometheus or Leviathan.