As we all know, the mainland is the world's most populous country. Since the Qing Dynasty, the population of the mainland has been the largest in the world, and the population base has always been relatively large. In addition to the relatively large local population, there are many people who have immigrated abroad for many reasons, and there are Chinese in most countries in the world. We are most familiar with the southeast Asian countries, which have a very large number of Chinese. In addition to Southeast Asia, there are also many countries in Africa with a large number of Chinese, today we look at the largest number of Chinese in Africa, the population and GDP of this country are the first in Africa, this is Nigeria.
Nigeria is a country located in southeastern West Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. With an area of 923,000 square kilometers, Nigeria is also among the highest in Africa. In addition to its large size, Nigeria's most prominent features in Africa are population and GDP. With a population of 201 million, Nigeria is the only country in Africa with a population of over 200 million. With a GDP of US$457.8 billion, it has long ranked first in Africa. These are the general conditions in Nigeria. However, this information does not give us a thorough understanding of Nigeria, and now we look at other situations in Nigeria.
First, let's look at the number of Chinese in Nigeria. As mentioned earlier, Nigeria has the largest population in Africa, at 201 million. There are more than 250 ethnic groups throughout Nigeria, and the indigenous peoples of Africa are the main part of Nigeria's makeup. In addition to the indigenous peoples, Nigeria also has a small number of Britons, Indians and Pakistanis of Asian descent. Because it was a British colony before, there were British, Indians, and Pakistanis. In addition to these, there are more than 1 million Chinese in Nigeria, and the number of Chinese is the largest in Africa.
Most of the Chinese in Nigeria immigrated in the last century, especially in the 1960s and 1970s, when Nigeria was just independent, many people went to Nigeria to invest, and a large number of laborers went to Nigeria. After these people came to Nigeria, they gradually settled down, and more and more Chinese came to Nigeria after that. Although the number of Chinese in Nigeria seems to be large, the proportion of the Nigerian population is still relatively low, only about 0.5%. However, although the proportion of Chinese is low, it has made a significant contribution to the Nigerian economy.
In Africa, in addition to the manufacturing industry in South Africa, there are a large number of Chinese, followed by Nigeria, and many Nigerian manufacturing industries are related to the Chinese. The most powerful Chinese in Nigeria are the four major families of "Cha, Dong, Li and Chen", which have a large investment in Nigeria and have a significant impact on Nigeria's manufacturing industry.
In 1964, Mr. Cha Jia Cha Ji Min founded the Cha Group. At present, Cha's Group has a large number of enterprises in Nigeria, providing many local jobs.
In 1967, Mr. Dong Jixun founded the Dong Group. The Tung Group has about 20,000 employees in Nigeria. Coupled with those who rely on the group of directors for a living, it can be said that there are more jobs available.
In 1964, Mr. Li Guandi founded the Lee Group. With nearly 54 factories in Nigeria, Lee Group is known as the "slipper king" of Africa.
In 1963, Chen Zhaomin first founded Huaheng Group. Warhaven also offers a large number of jobs in Nigeria.
In addition to the above, Nigeria also has a very famous Chinese "Hu Jieguo", and almost all Chinese in Nigeria know this name. Hu Jieguo served as an adviser to the president in Nigeria, where he was in charge of the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. Many Chinese people go to Nigeria and almost always go to Hu Jieguo when they encounter any problems, and he will try to help.
This is the general situation of the Chinese in Nigeria, although the proportion of the population is not very high, but the influence in Nigeria is relatively large. Especially in recent years, with the rise of the mainland economy, more and more mainlanders have invested in Niger, and the relationship between the two countries has become better and better.
Second, look at the demographic situation in Nigeria. As mentioned earlier, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, reaching 201 million. For a long time, Nigeria was the only country in Africa with a population of over 100 million. And Nigeria's population has been growing rapidly in recent years. Although nigeria's birth rate has declined in recent years, it is still as high as 5.32. Its birth rate is among the highest in the world. Because the birth rate is very high, Nigeria's population structure is very reasonable, pyramid-shaped, and the labor resources are very rich. This is a very big advantage now, after all, many countries have experienced negative population growth.
However, although Nigeria has a large population, the quality of the labor force is not very high. The national illiteracy rate of 40 per cent was a serious impediment to Nigeria's development. And because Nigeria's medical level is lagging behind, its medical level ranks 187 in the world, entering the bottom line. So the average life expectancy is not very long. If these two problems are solved, Nigeria's labor advantage will be more pronounced. This will have a great role in promoting its future development. Of course, in recent years, the Nigerian government has also increased its investment in education and health care. Certain achievements have also been made.
Third, look at Nigeria's GDP. Nigeria's GDP has been the highest in Africa since it surpassed South Africa in 2012 to become The Largest Economy in Africa. Nigeria's GDP currently accounts for around 0.51% of global GDP. Although Nigeria's GDP declined after 2014, it began to recover in 2017 and has continued to increase since then. As it stands, Nigeria will have the highest economy in Africa for a long time to come.
Although Nigeria's GDP is relatively high, there are great problems in the economic structure, such as backward agricultural development and the need to import a large amount of grain every year. The development of the industrial base is not good, and the existing industries are all low-end industries. All of this is a serious impediment to Nigeria's development.
However, Nigeria's economy still has many advantages. The first is the abundance of mineral resources. Nigeria's oil reserves are 37.2 billion barrels, the tenth largest in the world. Natural gas reserves reached 5.3 trillion cubic meters, the eighth largest in the world. Coal reserves are about 2.75 billion tons. In addition to these, Nigeria is also rich in resources such as bauxite, tantalum, gold, iron ore, limestone, tin and so on. Due to its abundant mineral resources, Nigeria can take advantage of these supporting industries, and the rise of industry is also possible later.
Secondly, Nigeria's industrial development is still good. Nigeria's leather manufacturing, textile industry, automobile manufacturing, food processing industry is developing very fast, has a vast market in Africa, and also has a large number of outgoings. These industries can provide a large number of labor jobs and solve a large number of employment problems. It can be said that there is still a certain industrial base, and once the industry is upgraded, it is relatively easy.
Moreover, the tertiary industry in Nigeria is still good. Nigeria's communications industry is developing very fast. Nigeria has its own satellite and is one of the fastest growing regions in the world for the communications industry. It can be said that the developed communications industry can still drive the development of related industries.
Nigeria's film industry is doing well. Although the quality of its films is not particularly high, it is very produced and is very popular in African countries.
Nigeria's financial sector has also developed to a certain extent. Nigeria is the financial and business hub of the West African region, with the largest stock exchange in West Africa, with 44 of the top 50 companies in West Africa coming from Nigeria. It can be seen that Nigeria's influence in West Africa is still relatively large.
Tourism, Nigeria is rich in tourism resources, with waterfalls, beaches, equatorial forests and other natural landscapes. These natural landscapes attract a large number of international tourists every year.
Although the Nigerian Industrial Agency has certain problems. But every industry has it, there is still a certain foundation, and some industries are still good. Looking at it this way, the possibility of the country's economic diversification is still relatively large. Once the economic diversification is completed, its economic rise can be said to be inevitable.
This is the general situation in Nigeria, a country with the largest number of Chinese in Africa. And the potential for development is enormous.
Resources:
Nigeria Country Profile