Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Dependency In Nigeria: A Mixed Method Approach.

This thesis explores the impact of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on Nigeria’s economy, political landscape, and societal structures, highlighting dependency and corruption. The investigation reveals how Chinese FDI negatively impacts Nigeria’s GDP growth, unlike the beneficial effects of non-Chinese FDI. Using Dependency Theory, Nigeria’s economic underdevelopment stems from the outflow of national resources to the wealthier People’s Republic of China and other nations – causing its dependence on China. By digging into Nigerian political and social realities, the reader will discover how Chinese FDI has fostered corruption and collusion between Nigerian politician’s FDI and Chinese investors. This undemocratic behaviour impedes most Nigerians from benefiting from investments. While flagging the positive effects of China’s Nigerian enterprise, the study points to some improvements in Nigeria’s infrastructure but, in parallel, notes concerns about the quality and long-term benefits due to the lack of maintenance, corruption and dependency. The evidence from the investigation shows how the Nigerian manufacturing sector suffers because it relies on Chinese imports at the expense of the development of local industries—endemic corruption threads the pages of this work where bribery and dishonesty overpower institutional frameworks – a situation exacerbated by poor governance and the lack of accountability raises concerns about economic and sociopolitical stability, sectarian-based terrorism, mass unemployment and inequality. The author criticises Nigeria’s disadvantaged trade imbalance with China. This imbalance favours China and perpetuates the dependency cycle. The study recommends policy reforms, governance changes, the relevance of local industries and sustainable development; corruption, and unacceptable labour practices – ethical concerns underline the thematic structure of this study and suggest that Chinese FDI’s are China’s doorway to revised imperialism.