I have been watching the arguments and protests by some Igbo traders over the growing presence of Chinese businessmen at Trade Fair, and honestly, I think we need to look at this issue differently.
I am Igbo, from Anambra, and this is not an issue I am looking at from a distance. I lived at CBM Estate 1, Satellite Town, which is just about a five-minute walk from Trade Fair. So, over the years, I have had the opportunity to observe the environment, the businesses and, to some extent, the mindset of the people operating there.
What is good for the goose is also good for the gander …we also have lots of Igbo businesses in China that are retail let’s be honest here ! Chinese didn’t complain from fight to retail to sourcing to exports we have igbo there also?
We are hardworking people. Igbo people are naturally entrepreneurial, very courageous with business and willing to take risks. But sometimes, I think we are too focused on making money today and not thinking enough about what the business will look like 10, 20 or 30 years from now.
That is where I think we missed it.
Take Trade Fair, for example. For decades, Igbo traders built strong businesses there, particularly in cosmetics, spare parts, electronics and other consumer products. They imported, distributed and made good money. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
But imagine you have been importing the same cream, cosmetic or other product from a Chinese company for 15 or 20 years. You have become their major distributor or even obtained a dealership. At some point, shouldn’t you be asking them: “Why don’t we manufacture this product here?”
You could bring the company in as a technical partner. You provide the capital and access to the Nigerian market; they provide the technology and expertise. Establish the factory here, employ Nigerians and gradually achieve technology transfer.
After all those years, you are no longer just an importer.
You become an industrialist.
Unfortunately, I don’t think enough of our traders were thinking that way.
Many were satisfied with being importers.
And that is the problem.
Today, Chinese businessmen are coming into the same market with something different. They don’t just bring goods; they bring manufacturing capacity, technology, financing and economies of scale. So the Nigerian trader importing the same product from China and selling it here will naturally struggle to compete with someone who is connected directly to the production process.
We shouldn’t be surprised.
We should ask ourselves what we could have done differently.
And this is why I don’t completely agree with protesting against Chinese businesses simply because they are competing with us. We are operating a capitalist economy. Competition is part of the game.
The Chinese didn’t invent competition. They simply saw an opportunity and came prepared.
Today, importation is not even the big advantage it used to be. With a smartphone, internet access and a few hundred thousand naira, somebody can start small-scale importation. The real advantage now is production, technology, branding and scale.
This is where I believe our traders need to start thinking differently.
We have the money. We have the market. We understand distribution better than many people. What we need now is the vision to move from trading to manufacturing.
Instead of importing shoes forever, manufacture them.
Instead of importing furniture, manufacture it.
Instead of importing cosmetics, establish cosmetic factories.
Instead of importing electronics accessories forever, start assembling and eventually manufacturing them here.
Importation will always have its place. Nigeria will continue to import machines, technology and raw materials that we cannot yet produce efficiently.
But we should stop importing things simply because we have never bothered to produce them.
For me, the biggest lesson from what is happening at Trade Fair is not that the Chinese are coming.
The lesson is that they saw the future before many of us did.
Our traders had decades to move up the value chain. Some did, but many remained comfortable with buying and selling.
Now the competition has arrived at their doorstep.
I don’t think the answer is anger or protest.
The answer is to man up, think bigger and change strategy.
We have already proved that we can trade.
Now let’s prove that we can manufacture.
The future is not in being the biggest importer. The future is in becoming the biggest producer.
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