The First Lady of Nigeria Senator Oluremi Tinubu with the Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai during his visit the First lady at the State House, Abuja on Thursday October 22, 2026. Credit: State House
Chinese exports to Nigeria achieve a record $24.9bn in 2025.
China’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, has told the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, that the reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda are yielding tangible results that should be consolidated beyond 2027.
According to a statement released by the First Lady’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Busola Kukoyi, on Thursday, the envoy spoke during a courtesy visit to her office.
The statement is titled ‘First Lady Oluremi Tinubu Receives China’s Ambassador.’
Yu said trade between the two countries had grown to $18bn in the first half of the year, and that Nigeria had taken “a new shape”, on strong macroeconomic footing, over the last three years.
“Yu Dunhai noted that there is renewed and stronger confidence by foreign investors and his country will not shy away from keying into this.
“The Envoy pointed out that in the last three years, Nigeria’s export to China has increased tremendously,” the statement read.
He said Nigeria should stay the course by putting its faith in the ongoing reforms, and that foreign investors had renewed confidence, which China would not shy away from tapping.
The envoy added that Nigeria’s exports to China had increased “tremendously” in the last three years.
He affirmed that China would deepen relations under the principle that Africa’s resources belong to Africa, with high-quality investment and the use of domestic human capital, among others.
Thursday’s visit is Yu’s first visit to the First Lady since taking office two years ago.
According to Kukoyi, the visit aimed to convey his government’s admiration for the Renewed Hope Agenda and the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative, and to explore further support in health, education and food security.
In response, the First Lady said an endorsement of the President’s second term by a strong ally like China was “cheering”.
She commended China’s interest in agriculture and its promise to collaborate on using technology to improve food security, and promised to encourage collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
“When friendship has transcended this long, it begins to yield results, and we are beginning to see the results now. We are looking at how the vulnerable ones would be lifted; we know this will help us a lot. Nigeria is transforming. And we must embrace the new Nigeria,” she was quoted as saying.
Nigeria and China raised relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2024, during Tinubu’s state visit to China.
Yu became Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria in Abuja in August 2024.
Chinese exports to Nigeria hit a record $24.9bn in 2025, up from $18.9bn in 2024, according to Chinese government data.
He said at a reception in September that bilateral trade in the first half of 2026 reached $18bn, up 35 per cent, with Chinese imports from Nigeria up 81 per cent.
