CHINESE INFRASTRUCTURAL INVESTMENT AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA (2015-2024)

ABSTRACT This study critically examines the impact of Chinese infrastructural investments on Nigeria’s socio-economic development between 2015 and 2024. Anchored on Dependency Theory, the research explores the nature, scope, and implications of Chinese-funded projects in Nigeria, with a particular focus on transport, energy, and port infrastructure. Using a qualitative, literature-based design, the study draws on secondary data from scholarly works, government reports, institutional publications, and policy documents, analysed through content and thematic approaches. Findings reveal that Chinese investments, notably in projects such as the Abuja–Kaduna Railway, Lagos– Ibadan Railway, Zungeru Hydropower Plant, and Lekki Deep Sea Port, have contributed to improvements in transportation, trade facilitation, and energy capacity, while creating short-term employment opportunities. However, these gains are tempered by concerns over debt sustainability, limited local capacity development, opaque loan terms, and the dominance of Chinese firms in project execution. Furthermore, Nigeria’s increasing reliance on Chinese finance carries strategic risks, including potential erosion of policy autonomy, heightened exposure to debt-trap scenarios, and vulnerability to geopolitical realignments in the context of China–West rivalry. The study concludes that while Chinese infrastructural investments provide Nigeria with vital assets, their developmental impact remains uneven and fraught with fiscal and strategic challenges. It recommends greater transparency in loan agreements, independent feasibility assessments, stronger local content requirements, regulatory oversight of digital infrastructure, and diversification of external partnerships to balance Nigeria’s development financing and safeguard national sovereignty.