Drivers and Impacts of China’s Economic Engagements in Nigeria: Focus on Infrastructures Investment

Abstract

China’s growing presence across African continent and with reference to Nigeria has variously attracted debates and mixed feeling amongst scholars and policy makers. Severally considered and described initially as ideological and political, cultural and adventurous, etc., but the phenomenal expansion of the engagement and relationship into trade and investment across economic sectors particularly infrastructure development, has many things to desire. While the public debate accentuates the imperativeness of Chinese infrastructure financing schemes and its roles in economic growth and development in Nigeria, yet vital questions on China-Nigeria economic engagement subsist. This study investigated and examined specifically the nature of the driving factors and the impacts of the economic engagement with particular interest in infrastructures investment and development. Using a non-probabilistic and qualitative research design method on secondary data sources, the study discovered that China-Nigeria economic engagement is propelled by economic, institutional, political and perception drivers with divers mixed impacts; and conclusively described the engagement as goodly-bad or sweet but bitter. This study contributes to the asymmetric view of China-Nigeria relationship by positing a balanced position from infrastructure investment perspective. The study therefore recommended that government policy makers ensure that Chinese investments alone in Nigeria’s national infrastructures development do not and should not substitute constitutional government responsibilities, that institutional frameworks must encourage momentous indigenous private investment capital inflow into infrastructure sector, going forward, China-Nigeria engagement policies must promote purposeful, environmental, human capital, and people-centered sustainable development goals in Nigeria amongst others.