Nigeria-China Aquatic Products Protocol: A new frontier for economic transformation

The recently signed Nigeria-China Aquatic Products Protocol represents a significant development in Nigeria-China relations and provides a practical demonstration of what a properly structured strategic partnership can deliver. More than an agreement concerning the export of fish and other aquatic products, the Protocol creates an important platform for expanding trade, attracting investment, developing aquaculture, transferring technology, creating employment, and strengthening Nigeria’s emerging Blue Economy. A particularly important feature of the Protocol is that it creates tariff-free market access for eligible Nigerian aquatic products into the Chinese market, providing Nigerian producers with an important competitive opportunity in one of the world’s largest seafood markets. This market-access opportunity should be regarded not as an end in itself, but as a catalyst for transforming Nigeria’s aquatic-products sector from a predominantly fragmented production system into an integrated, commercially viable, and export-oriented industry.

The Protocol must, therefore, be understood within the broader context of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership Office (NCSP) and the vision that informed its establishment. The NCSP was conceived as an institutional mechanism for moving Nigeria-China relations beyond conventional diplomacy and trade towards a structured partnership covering investment, infrastructure, industrialisation, energy, technology, agriculture, science, human-capital development and other areas capable of generating sustainable economic transformation. The Aquatic Products Protocol is an important example of this strategic philosophy in action. It demonstrates how sustained institutional engagement, strategic diplomacy and credible partnerships can produce practical economic opportunities for Nigeria.

Nigeria and China possess complementary economic strengths. China has enormous market depth, investment capacity, technological capability, manufacturing expertise, infrastructure experience and sophisticated value-chain systems. Nigeria possesses a large domestic market, substantial natural and aquatic resources, entrepreneurial capacity, agricultural potential and a strategic position within Africa and ECOWAS. Therefore, the question should be: How to connect this strategic opportunity to complementary assets? This is the fundamental justification for a deeper Nigeria-China strategic partnership. Bilateral relations should increasingly be judged not merely by diplomatic engagements, memoranda and agreements, but by their capacity to generate investment, productive capacity, jobs, exports, technology transfer, infrastructure and measurable improvements in the Nigerian economy.

In this context, President Bola Tinubu’s initiative in establishing the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership framework represents an important investment in the architecture of long-term bilateral economic cooperation. The choice of Joseph Tegbe, the pioneer Director General of the NCSP and now Minister of Power, was consequential in establishing an institutional platform through which strategic opportunities could be identified, pursued and translated into practical cooperation. The emergence of the Aquatic Products Protocol provides a powerful example of the potential value of this approach. Joseph Tegbe’s resilience, persistence and strategic relationship-building are particularly relevant to this evolution. His trajectory from pioneering the NCSP to serving as Minister of Power provides an important illustration of institutional continuity and the importance of sustained engagement in building strategic partnerships capable of delivering tangible outcomes.

The Protocol should not be viewed simply as an arrangement for exporting fish to China. Its strategic significance lies in its potential to establish a Nigeria-China aquatic-products value chain extending across production, technology, processing, certification, logistics, investment, marketing and export. The tariff-free market access created by the Protocol makes this opportunity even more significant. Nigerian producers and exporters now have the prospect of entering the Chinese market on preferential terms. This creates a powerful incentive for Nigerian businesses to increase production and improve quality. The strategic question is therefore no longer simply: How much aquatic product can Nigeria export to China? The more important question is: How can tariff-free access to the Chinese market be used to transform Nigeria’s entire aquatic-products ecosystem? That ecosystem encompasses fish farming, hatcheries, fingerling production, feed manufacturing, aquaculture equipment, fisheries management, processing, packaging, cold storage, refrigerated transportation, laboratories, certification, digital traceability, logistics, financial services, insurance, branding, marketing, research and development, technology transfer and international trade. This is where the Protocol becomes an instrument of industrial policy.

China provides Nigerian producers with access to one of the world’s largest seafood-consuming markets. Predictable and tariff-free market access can create incentives for investment in commercial aquaculture, hatcheries, feed production, processing and cold-chain infrastructure. The potential benefits are substantial. First, the Protocol can contribute to export diversification by providing Nigeria with opportunities to develop non-oil export revenues. Aquatic products can become part of a broader export portfolio and help reduce dependence on crude oil and a narrow range of agricultural commodities. Second, it can contribute to foreign-exchange generation. Fish, shrimp, prawns, molluscs and other eligible aquatic products could become meaningful sources of export earnings if production and processing capacity are developed at scale. Third, the Protocol can stimulate aquaculture expansion.

Predictable access to a large international market improves the commercial case for investing in farms, hatcheries, feed mills, processing plants and related infrastructure. Fourth, Nigeria can pursue higher-value exports rather than concentrating on raw or minimally processed commodities. Processed, packaged, branded and value-added aquatic products can generate greater economic returns and create more employment within Nigeria. The Protocol can consequently become a practical pillar of Nigeria’s Blue Economy strategy.

The signing of the Protocol is an important beginning. The next challenge is production. A tariff-free market is valuable only if Nigeria has sufficient production capacity to supply it. If Nigerian aquaculture remains fragmented, under-capitalised, technologically constrained and unable to meet international standards consistently, the market opportunity will remain largely theoretical. Nigeria must therefore move deliberately from: small-scale production → commercial production → industrial production → export-oriented production. This requires an integrated production chain: Hatcheries → fingerlings → feed → farms → aggregation → processing → cold chain → certification → packaging → logistics → export. The development of specialised Aquatic Industrial Development Zones or clusters could help concentrate production, processing, laboratories, storage, logistics and export services in locations with appropriate infrastructure. Such clusters could attract domestic and Chinese investment while creating economies of scale and connecting thousands of smaller producers to larger processors and exporters. Small and medium-sized fish farmers should not be excluded from this opportunity. With appropriate aggregation, financing, technical assistance and export-support systems, they can become part of organised supply chains capable of meeting international requirements.

Nigeria should not develop its aquatic products industry exclusively for China. The Chinese market should serve as an anchor international market, while expanded domestic production simultaneously strengthens Nigeria’s own food system. This creates a strategic dual-market model: Domestic market + Chinese market + other international markets. Greater domestic production can improve food security, reduce dependence on imported fish, create rural employment and strengthen local economies. At the same time, export-oriented production can generate foreign exchange and incentivise producers to meet higher quality standards. These objectives should reinforce one another. The infrastructure developed to serve export markets can also improve domestic markets. Better cold-chain systems, processing facilities, laboratories, packaging and quality-control systems can reduce post-harvest losses and improve the quality of aquatic products available to Nigerian consumers.

Aquatic products are perishable. Consequently, market access without supporting infrastructure will not produce optimal results. Nigeria will need substantial investment in cold rooms, ice-making facilities, refrigerated trucks, modern processing plants, laboratories, quarantine facilities, efficient ports, reliable electricity, digital traceability systems, packaging facilities and integrated logistics networks. This is where the broader Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership becomes particularly important. The Aquatic Products Protocol should be connected to Nigeria-China cooperation in infrastructure, energy, transport, manufacturing, logistics, digital technology and investment. Reliable electricity is especially important.

Hatcheries, pumps, aeration systems, ice plants, cold rooms, processing facilities, laboratories and digital infrastructure all require dependable power. This also demonstrates why the broader strategic relationship must be integrated across sectors. Trade policy must connect with industrial policy; industrial policy must connect with infrastructure; infrastructure must connect with energy; energy must connect with investment; investment must connect with technology; and technology must connect with skills and markets. That is the essence of an integrated strategic partnership.

One of the most valuable long-term consequences of the Protocol could be the strengthening of Nigeria’s quality infrastructure. Access to the Chinese market requires confidence in the safety, quality, origin and traceability of imported aquatic products. The implementation of the Protocol can therefore encourage stronger laboratory capacity, aquatic-disease surveillance, sanitary certification, inspection systems, farm registration, approved processing facilities, digital certification, traceability, packaging, labelling and quality assurance. This is important because the resulting capabilities will not be useful only for China. If Nigerian producers can consistently satisfy demanding Chinese market requirements, Nigeria can strengthen its credentials for accessing other international markets. The Protocol can therefore serve as a quality-upgrading mechanism for the entire Nigerian aquatic-products industry. Another major opportunity is to use the Protocol to attract Chinese investment into Nigeria. Nigeria should actively seek partnerships involving aquaculture technology, hatcheries, genetics, feed, processing, refrigeration, logistics, digital traceability, packaging, research, and financing. The strategic objective should not be merely to export Nigerian fish to China. Nigeria should encourage Chinese companies to invest and produce with Nigerian partners in Nigeria. A potentially powerful model would combine Chinese technology, Nigerian resources, Nigerian labour, Nigerian production, Nigerian processing, and Chinese market access. This would transform the relationship from simple commodity trade into joint value creation. It would also deepen the economic rationale for the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership.

The Protocol’s implementation should be organised around six interconnected pillars. Market access-Nigeria should secure predictable access for approved aquatic products and ensure that producers understand the requirements for entering and maintaining access to the Chinese market. Sanitary, phytosanitary and biosecurity requirements-Nigeria must establish mutually accepted health, quarantine and disease-control requirements to protect both aquatic resources and consumer safety. Standards and certification-The country should strengthen credible certification and laboratory systems capable of supporting large-scale international trade. Industrialisation- Investment should be directed toward processing, cold-chain systems, feed, hatcheries, packaging and related industries. Investment and technology-Nigeria should deliberately attract Chinese capital, technology, expertise, and joint ventures into the aquatic products value chain. Sustainable blue economy- Growth must be environmentally sustainable and support employment, food security, conservation and long-term resource management.

These pillars can transform the Protocol from a market-access instrument into an industrial-development programme.

The message after the signing of the Protocol should be straightforward: Nigeria must produce. It must produce enough for its domestic market and enough to compete internationally. Existing fish farms need to become more productive. New commercial aquaculture operations need to be established. Hatcheries need to improve. Fingerling quality must increase. Feed production must expand. Genetics, disease management and modern production technologies must be strengthened. Post-harvest losses must also be reduced, while processing capacity must be expanded so that more of Nigeria’s aquatic production becomes commercially valuable products. This requires the mobilisation of federal and state governments, private investors, farmers, financial institutions, Chinese companies, development-finance institutions, research institutions, universities, technology providers, logistics companies, processors, exporters, certification agencies and farmer associations. A coordinated Nigeria Aquatic Products Development and Export Programme could provide the institutional mechanism for bringing these stakeholders together and converting the Protocol into a production, investment and export programme.

The opportunity also extends beyond Nigeria’s domestic market. Nigeria could potentially become a regional processing and distribution hub for aquatic products destined for Asian markets. Its large market, strategic location, infrastructure potential and industrial base provide opportunities to integrate selected inputs from other West African countries into Nigerian processing, packaging, certification and export operations. The Protocol could therefore contribute not only to Nigeria’s industrialisation but also to regional ECOWAS value-chain development. This would strengthen Nigeria’s position as a regional economic hub while deepening practical economic integration across West Africa. The most important lesson from the Protocol is that bilateral relations become meaningful when they create tangible opportunities for citizens. Nigeria-China relations should increasingly be assessed in terms of jobs created, investments mobilised, factories established, infrastructure delivered, technologies transferred, exports increased, enterprises developed, skills acquired, and value chains created. The Aquatic Products Protocol provides an excellent example of this philosophy. It demonstrates how a specialised sectoral agreement can become an instrument for broader economic transformation when connected to investment, infrastructure, technology and production. It also demonstrates the value of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership Office as a platform for identifying and developing opportunities that extend beyond conventional diplomacy.

The role of Joseph Tegbe deserves particular recognition in this broader narrative. As the pioneer Director General of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership Office, Mr Tegbe was positioned at the formative stage of an initiative intended to deepen and institutionalise Nigeria’s strategic relationship with China. His resilience and persistence in advancing the relationship are important elements of the story. His subsequent appointment as Minister of Power gives this strategic narrative an additional dimension. Aquatic production and processing depend heavily on reliable electricity. Consequently, the development of Nigeria’s aquatic products industry is connected, directly and indirectly, to the transformation of Nigeria’s energy system. The broader lesson is that Nigeria’s sectors cannot be developed in isolation.

Trade, industry, infrastructure, energy, investment, technology, skills and markets must work together. This integrated approach is precisely what a strategic partnership should make possible. The Protocol should now be followed by a deliberate implementation programme. Nigeria should identify the aquatic species and products with the greatest Chinese-market potential; map existing production capacity; identify production gaps; establish export-oriented aquaculture clusters; develop Chinese-approved farms and processing facilities; strengthen laboratories and certification; expand hatcheries and fingerling production; increase domestic feed production; develop cold-chain infrastructure; attract Chinese technology and investment; establish producer-aggregation systems; strengthen digital traceability; develop Nigerian brands; reduce post-harvest losses; improve access to long-term finance; develop specialised skills; strengthen sustainability; and establish measurable production and export targets. These measures would transform the Protocol from market access into market creation, production expansion and industrialisation.

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The Nigeria-China Aquatic Products Protocol is potentially much larger than the commodity it covers. Its significance lies in what Nigeria does with the opportunity created by tariff-free access to the Chinese market. The Protocol can help Nigeria diversify exports, generate foreign exchange, expand aquaculture, create jobs, attract investment, transfer technology, improve standards, develop infrastructure, strengthen food security and advance its Blue Economy. But these benefits will not materialise automatically. The country must build the production capacity to supply the market. It must transform market access into production, production into processing, processing into industrialization, industrialisation into exports, exports into foreign exchange, jobs and investment, and investment into sustainable national development. The Protocol also provides an important validation of the strategic logic behind the establishment of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership Office. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s initiative to establish the NCSP created an institutional framework for pursuing a deeper, more practical and economically focused relationship with China. The selection of Joseph Tegbe as its pioneer Director General was therefore an important strategic choice, particularly in light of his resilience and sustained engagement in developing the partnership. The Protocol now offers an opportunity to demonstrate the full meaning of that vision. The Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership should enter a new phase, from diplomacy to delivery; from agreements to implementation; from market access to production; from production to industrialisation;

and from bilateral friendship to mutually beneficial economic transformation.

The Nigeria-China Aquatic Products Protocol has opened an important door for Nigeria. The task now is to walk through it, not merely as an exporter of aquatic products, but as a producer, processor, investor, technology partner, and emerging aquatic-industrial power.

Victor LIman is the former Senior Strategic Adviser on Strategy, Trade, Research and Innovation in the Public Service Institute of Nigeria, Abuja -Nigeria, former Commissioner and Head –Nigeria Regional Investment and Trade Office, Shanghai-China, former Chief Trade Negotiator and Acting Director General, Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations, and former Director of Administration and Finance, Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations. ([email protected] |+234 814 544 3551)