The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has called on the Federal Government to urgently review the regulatory framework governing foreign participation in Nigeria’s retail and distributive trade, amid growing concerns over the involvement of foreign nationals, particularly Chinese traders, in segments traditionally dominated by Nigerian businesses.
The CPPE said the development could have implications for employment, small businesses, fair competition and the enforcement of Nigeria’s immigration and investment regulations.
In a statement on Saturday, the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Muda Yusuf, stressed that its concerns should not be interpreted as opposition to Chinese investment or Nigeria’s expanding trade relationship with China.
‘China remains one of Nigeria’s most important trading partners and the leading source of the country’s imports,’ Yusuf said.
He added that Nigerian businesses had ‘longstanding commercial relationships with Chinese manufacturers, exporters and major distributors,’ which had supported the supply of machinery, industrial inputs, consumer goods and technology products to the Nigerian market.
‘The CPPE therefore stresses that the concern is not about Chinese investment or Nigeria’s economic relationship with China,’ Yusuf said.
According to him, foreign investment remains important to Nigeria, especially when it brings ‘capital, technology, industrial capacity, employment, exports and new capabilities into the economy.’
The immediate concern, he said, was the movement of some foreign suppliers and traders downstream into retail activities where Nigerian businesses already have significant capacity.
‘The issue is the increasing movement of some foreign suppliers and traders downstream into segments of retail trade in which Nigerians already possess substantial capacity,’ he said.
Yusuf argued that a situation in which overseas manufacturers or major suppliers sell to Nigerian importers and distributors before establishing businesses that compete directly with those same customers at the retail level could create concerns about market structure and competition.
‘A situation where overseas manufacturers or major suppliers sell products to Nigerian importers and distributors, and subsequently establish operations that compete directly with those same businesses at the retail end of the market, creates legitimate concerns about market structure and fair competition,’ he said.
The CPPE noted that Nigeria’s distributive trade sector is a major source of employment, with millions of Nigerians engaged in wholesale and retail activities involving textiles, ICT products and accessories, automobile spare parts and tyres, electrical products, plumbing materials and household goods.
Yusuf said the issue was particularly significant against the backdrop of unemployment, poverty, weak consumer purchasing power, high financing costs and mounting pressure on small businesses.
‘At a time when the economy is grappling with unemployment, poverty, weak consumer purchasing power, high financing costs and considerable pressure on small businesses, policy should be particularly sensitive to developments capable of displacing domestic enterprises from sectors in which Nigerians have demonstrated adequate capacity,’ he said.
The organisation said reports from market operators indicated growing concerns about foreign participation in textiles and fabrics, computers and telephone accessories, automobile spare parts, tyres and plumbing materials.
It also cited protests and complaints by Nigerian traders in some major commercial markets, urging authorities not to ignore the developments.
The CPPE called for a comprehensive review of business permits, expatriate quotas, immigration approvals and other authorisations granted to foreign nationals operating in Nigeria.
Yusuf said expatriate quotas should primarily be used to bring in skills and expertise that are scarce or unavailable locally.
‘Expatriate quotas should principally facilitate the entry of skills, expertise and capabilities that are scarce or unavailable locally,’ he said.
‘They should not become instruments for displacing Nigerians from economic activities where substantial domestic competence already exists.’
He further argued that retail trading generally did not constitute a specialised activity requiring scarce foreign expertise.
‘Retail trading is generally not a specialised activity requiring scarce foreign expertise,’ Yusuf said. ‘The increasing presence of non-nationals in such activities therefore raises legitimate questions about the effectiveness of the regulatory and immigration architecture.’
The CPPE, however, said it was not advocating arbitrary restrictions on foreign investors.
‘For clarity, the CPPE is not calling for arbitrary restrictions or hostility towards foreign investors but a consistent and credible enforcement of existing laws, transparent rules and a clearly defined investment policy,’ Yusuf said.