Benefits Of The Nigeria-China Currency Deal To Nigerians

The agreement will allow Nigerian who imports mainly from China conclude their transactions in the Chinese currency instead of the dollar. The new agreement would see Nigeria-China trades, which accounts for over 70 percent of imports into Nigeria, concluded in the Yuan.

Until now over 90% of int’l trades between Nigeria & the world is done in dollars, & in the process putting so much pressure on the naira. Nigeria imports almost all it needs from the West, Middle East and Asia.

The CBN is expected to diversify a huge chunk of Nigeria’s foreign reserve from the dollars to the Yuan to perfect the agreement.

“It means that the renminbi (Yuan) is free to flow among diff banks in Nigeria, & the renminbi has been included in the FXR of Nigeria,”

FXR means foreign exchange reserves. Lin Songtian, director general of the African affairs department of China’s foreign ministry, told reporters in Beijing, a few minutes after the agreement was signed between the Governors of the nations’ reserve banks in the presence of President Buhari & President Xi Jingping of China, who is hosting Buhari and top Nigerian officials to a state visit.

Lin said a framework on currency swaps has been agreed with Nigeria, making it easier to settle trade deals in Yuan. China has signed currency swap deals with countries ranging from Kazakhstan to Argentina as it promotes wider use of its Yuan.

Nigeria would become the clearinghouse for Yuan denominated transactions for the whole of Africa following the agreement. Beijing also signed agreements to develop infrastructure in Nigeria, part of a drive to deepen its ties with Africa.

It has offered Nigeria a loan worth $6 billion to fund infrastructure projects.

Also, ICBC signed a $2 billion loan deal with Dangote group, to fund two cement plants it plans to build, Lin told Reuters. China’s official Xinhua news agency cited President Xi as telling Buhari that there was huge potential for economic cooperation, naming

Naming oil, refining and mining, Nigeria is also considering issuing Panda bonds (mainly Yuan denominated) as against euro bonds because they are cheaper.