Africa welcomes China’s zero-tariff trade policy

Added: 2026-05-08

[00:00:00]Now, shift our focus to Gambia now.

[00:00:01]Traders in the country are joining their counterparts across the continent in welcoming this new tariff regime. Well, let's now get some reactions from entrepreneurs in the West African nation.

[00:00:15]Free trade with China? Yes. For me, I focus on kids' clothing. That's what I'm more into. I need a lot because I'm always learning. I need to gain more experience in cases where you won't even need to go to China and the goods will be here without the need to travel.

[00:00:29]Because it's not always that you have to pay for flight tickets to go. If I have an easier option where I can get the goods without going, that will be much needed for me.

[00:00:39]Right now, anyway, me, I don't see any difficulties in China. Yeah, they are very nice.

[00:00:44]Business in China is very easy.

[00:00:47]One thing is just the language to translate. That's all. But, if you have your guider and most of them, they can try English.

[00:00:55]If you buy your goods in China, I don't think there's any cheating in China, to my side. Yeah.

[00:01:02]The importation, uh like the goods to come to Gambia, is always our problem.

[00:01:06]Because definitely that place is too high.

[00:01:08]The charges they are giving us for the container, even only container in China, definitely is too much. Because if you want to take your own container, one container can go up to 1,000 I also I sorry, 7,500 dollars.

[00:01:22]Uh excluding Gambia.

[00:01:24]When it comes to Gambia, also they charge you more than 500,000 for one content.

[00:01:28]That's too much.

[00:01:30]Yeah, that's too much on on us. Every woman is Every business woman is crying for that.

[00:01:36]If they can help that area, it will be better for us.

[00:01:41]Well, let's go to Nigeria now, where businesses are also welcoming the news from China. And let's get some reactions from manufacturers in the country.

[00:01:51]That China is offering tariff-free you know, zero tariff trade to African countries is a very big move. 53 of them out of 54. So, it's almost the entire continent. At a time when Europe and America think everything has to be tit-for-tat. So, that for me is very significant because it boosts um trade relations, is soft diplomatic power, it boosts economic development, and it's going to the fall back effect is going to be that it's going to improve a lot of African economies. And it was going to also improve agricultural production, most especially. It's quite a good policy.

[00:02:32]But, are we prepared for it as Nigerian manufacturers?

[00:02:36]Do we have as much incentives as the Chinese uh manufacturers who will definitely be competing with when we get our goods to China using the policy?

[00:02:50]That's the zero tariff policy.

[00:02:52]Is this really that advantageous when you look at it?

[00:02:57]You realize that we are still competing with people who are far advant- more advantaged than us. They have all the infrastructure. They have uh electricity 24 hours a day. Unlike in Nigeria, for the past 3 days, we've not had power in our factory. We have actually had to shut down some operations.

[00:03:18]Let's go to Sierra Leone now and hear their views. Let's hear what businesses there think of this new zero tariff policy.

[00:03:25]That kind business thing That kind of business, taking products from Africa to China, is a very good idea. It is something that can bring significant development to us, especially for those of us who travel to China for trade and return home. China is a great place to do business. When I go there, I purchase a wide range of items, products for women, children, and men, a blend of different goods. Traveling to China is a good experience. It opens your eyes to many opportunities. It is truly a bigger opportunity. However, one key area we would like to see improved is shipping.

[00:03:59]We need our goods to arrive more quickly so we can sell faster, return to China, and continue the cycle of trade efficiently.

[00:04:06]I am ready really for do the I am ready to do business with China if I have the opportunity. We pray that this becomes a reality because most of the goods we produce here are only used locally. But, if you are able to trade with China, I believe we will see more imports, and they will also bring in a wider range of goods for us. At the same time, we can export our own products to them, things that I believe they may also need. From this palm tree, we produce many useful items. We use the sticks for boiling and stirring palm kernel nuts. We also make brooms from it. When we break the palm kernel nuts, they produce palm kernel oil. We also use it to make soap. Even the husk is useful. We use it as fuel to make fire, and it burns well even during the rainy season.