The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has opened talks with Nigerian and Chinese business leaders on improving cross-border payments, banking connectivity and investment flows between the two economies.
At a high-level roundtable in Beijing on Wednesday, CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso said direct engagement with businesses was essential to understanding the practical barriers affecting financial activity along the Nigeria–China corridor. The meeting, themed “Strengthening the Nigeria–China Financial Corridor,” was held at the Pan Pacific Beijing.
Participants discussed the need for more efficient payment and settlement arrangements, stronger banking relationships and a larger Nigerian banking presence in China. They also examined ways to improve access to financial services and investment opportunities in Nigeria.
ALSO READ CBN targets easier Nigeria-China payments as Cardoso plans Beijing visit
Cardoso said the CBN’s objective was not merely to make transactions easier, but to create conditions for greater trade, investment and financial flows in both directions.
The Deputy Governor for Economic Policy, Philip Ikeazor, delivered the opening remarks, stressing the need to convert Nigeria’s improved macroeconomic fundamentals into increased investment and deeper financial markets. Nigeria’s Ambassador to China, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau (rtd), also addressed the session.
Business perspectives were presented by Festus Mbisiogu, Chairperson of Blue Diamond Group, and Chief Diana Chen, Chairperson of CIG Motors. Their contributions focused on the operational and transactional challenges faced by companies working across both markets.
The CBN also presented Nigeria’s economic reform progress and emerging opportunities in its financial markets. The bank said the feedback from the roundtable would guide its future engagement with financial institutions and regulatory counterparts, particularly in areas that fall within its mandate.
The Beijing engagement is part of the CBN’s wider strategy to deepen financial ties across Asia. It follows meetings in Singapore and at the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, and will continue in Guangzhou, where the bank plans another listening session with the Nigerian business community on remittances and investment.
