An Asoko analysis of Nigeria, Corporate Affairs Commission data indicates that 3,321 registered companies in Nigeria have at least one shareholder of Chinese nationality.
Out of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), only two do not have registered firms with a Chinese shareholder: Gombe and Taraba state.
Read: The closest look yet at Chinese economic engagement in Africa
Chinese shareholdings are densely concentrated in Lagos State, where 52% of the companies are registered. The FCT accounts for another 15% of the part-Chinese-owned. Also notable is the concentration of these firms in Kano to the North and Anambra to the South.
Of the total 3,321, 47 firms had no registered Nigerian address but were nonetheless categorized as operational in Nigeria, often with a Chinese base of operation.
For more context, in June 2017 McKinsey & Company estimated that “there are more than 10,000 Chinese-owned firms operating in Africa today”, of which 920 are based in Nigeria. McKinsey did not provide a precise definition for how it classifies a “Chinese-owned” business in Africa, but highlighted that approximately 90% are privately held.
A review of the data by sector shows that less than 5% of firms with Chinese ownership are engaged in Mining or Oil and Gas extraction in Nigeria. Meanwhile, more than one third are engaged in Service delivery, broadly defined to include products such as consultancy, public relations, trade facilitation and a number of support services for other sectors.
Industrial Manufacturing accounts for just over 25% of the companies, followed by Construction and Real Estate, which together represent 8% of the total.
In terms of representation of Chinese shareholdings, Education, Leisure and Tourism, Media, and Consumer Goods fall at the lower end of the scale. Together all four accounts for less than 3% of the total.
