China is seeking to expand its partnership with Nigeria beyond infrastructure and conventional trade, inviting Africa’s most populous country to participate in a new international artificial-intelligence cooperation platform.
Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Yu Dunhai said Beijing wanted Nigeria to join the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization as the two countries deepen cooperation in industrialisation, digital technology and the green and blue economies.
Speaking in Abuja during events marking the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Yu said bilateral trade reached US$18 billion in the first half of 2026, up 35% year on year. Chinese imports from Nigeria rose by about 81%, according to the ambassador.
The figures are Chinese government claims and should be attributed as such until independently reconciled with complete bilateral customs data.
China and Nigeria are marking 55 years of diplomatic relations in 2026. Their economic relationship already spans construction, manufacturing, telecommunications, energy and trade, but artificial intelligence could introduce a new strategic dimension.
Nigeria has one of Africa’s largest digital markets and a significant technology and start-up ecosystem. Cooperation with China could potentially include AI infrastructure, industrial applications, skills development and digital services.
Beijing says it wants to align areas of its next five-year development plan with Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda, including industrialisation and emerging technologies.
The proposal comes as African governments increasingly confront questions about how they will participate in the global AI economy. Access to computing infrastructure and advanced systems can support development, but governments must also consider cybersecurity, data governance, local skills, intellectual property and dependence on foreign technology providers.
ANALYSIS: China–Africa cooperation was once symbolised primarily by roads, railways, ports and power stations. Nigeria’s AI invitation points toward a second layer of infrastructure: computing, data and digital systems. For Nigeria, the strongest outcome would not simply be access to Chinese AI products, but an arrangement that builds Nigerian technical capacity and gives local companies and researchers meaningful participation in the technology value chain.
Sources: Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nigeria, remarks by Ambassador Yu Dunhai, 24 September 2026; The Guardian Nigeria; THISDAY.