Buying in Yiwu and Guangzhou from West and Central Africa

Yiwu or Guangzhou: what to buy where

The two cities are about 1,200 km apart, linked by high-speed rail and flights. Many buyers do both in one trip.

Visa and stay in China

Nigerians, Ghanaians, Ivorians, Senegalese, Cameroonians and other West and Central African nationals need a visa. As of October 2026, China's visa-free entry list (50 countries) and its 240-hour visa-free transit list (57 countries) include no West or Central African country.

• The M (business) visa is applied for online on the Chinese consular site (consular.mfa.gov.cn), then submitted at the embassy or visa centre. Your passport must be valid for more than 6 months and have a blank page.
• The key document is the invitation letter from a company in China: the guest's identity, purpose, dates and places of the stay, who pays the costs, contact details, and the inviting company's stamp and signature. At the Abidjan embassy a copy or printout is enough. Your supplier or a fair organiser can provide it.
• Fingerprints are no longer required for short-stay visas (stays of up to 180 days), a measure extended at the end of 2025.
• Mali: since September 15, 2026, Chinese visas for Malians are processed in Dakar, Abidjan or Rabat while the Bamako embassy is under works.
• Once there: if you do not stay in a hotel, you must register your accommodation with the police within 24 hours. Since September 21, 2026 this can be done online across China (NIA 12367 app).

Fairs in autumn 2026

The Canton Fair buyer badge is free for new foreign buyers who pre-register online. Phase 1 (machinery, electronics) ran from October 15 to 19 and drew 189,000 buyers from 214 countries and regions. Spring 2027 dates had not been published as of October 21, 2026.

Buying without travelling: 1688, Alibaba and agents

• 1688 is China's wholesale site: low prices, but entirely in Chinese, payment in yuan, and suppliers rarely ship abroad. You use an agent or freight forwarder who receives, consolidates and ships. See our guide how to buy from 1688.
• Alibaba is in English, accepts cards and offers Trade Assurance, but prices are higher.
• A buying agent in Yiwu or Guangzhou usually charges 3 to 10% of the purchase value for a full service (search, negotiation, checks, consolidation). An agent at 2 or 3% often makes it back through a hidden factory commission or inflated freight. See our guide China sourcing agent.

You can also send us your request: we compare factories and send you quotes, free of charge. Request a factory quote. To contact suppliers, use our supplier message templates.

Paying a Chinese supplier from Nigeria, Ghana and the CFA zones

• Nigeria: imports go through a Form M opened with your bank, and the foreign exchange is bought at the official rate, which is the CBN's NFEM rate (about N1,332 per US$ on October 19, 2026). Open the Form M before you pay the supplier. See import from China to Nigeria for the full process.
• Ghana: you pay in dollars or yuan and your bank converts from cedis. The Bank of Ghana interbank rate was GH¢11.64 to 11.66 per US$ on October 16, 2026; your bank's own rate may differ, so ask for it before you commit.
• WAEMU zone (BCEAO): since August 1, 2025 (instruction no. 02/07/2025/RFE), any import above 20 million FCFA must be domiciled with a bank. The advance paid before shipment cannot exceed 50% of the goods' value. Below the threshold, the bank supplies foreign currency against the final invoice.
• CEMAC zone (BEAC): the 2019 exchange regulations require domiciliation of imports above 5 million FCFA. Ask your bank for the exact documents.
• Transfer in dollars or yuan: the normal route with a factory. Check that the bank account is in the exact name of the company invoicing you. Ecobank, present in 34 African markets, signed an agreement in October 2026 to join China's yuan payment system (CIPS); no fees or timetable have been disclosed, so do not count on cheaper yuan payments yet.
• Alipay and WeChat Pay accept foreign cards (up to US$5,000 per transaction): handy on the spot for small purchases.
• Cash: any amount above 20,000 yuan or US$5,000 must be declared when entering China. Carrying large sums exposes you to theft and seizure.

Compare your bank's exchange fees before paying: see how to pay Chinese suppliers.

Shipping to West and Central Africa

Sea schedules to Nigeria (port to port): Nansha to Apapa 32 to 34 days, Shanghai to Apapa 37 to 41 days, Shanghai to Tin Can 39 days, Shanghai to Lekki 44 days. Call it about 35 to 45 days for most routes. Rates move every week: get at least three quotes from forwarders, stating volume, weight, type of goods and arrival port. Air freight often routes through Addis Ababa (Ethiopian Airlines) or Nairobi. Landlocked countries are served by corridor: Burkina Faso via Abidjan or Tema, Mali via Dakar or Abidjan, Niger via Cotonou or Lomé, Chad and the Central African Republic via Douala.

Port delays to expect right now

On the Asia to West Africa service, Hapag-Lloyd sailings slid by one week and one westbound sailing was cancelled around China's Golden Week holiday. We have no Apapa wait figure in our sources.

Do not forget the cargo tracking note in French-speaking countries: BSC in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, BESC in Cameroon, Benin and Togo, ECTN in Burkina Faso and Congo, FERI in DR Congo. It must be issued for every sea shipment, often before or just after the ship sails; without it, penalties are heavy. The name and issuing body vary, so confirm with your country's shippers' council or your forwarder. For Nigeria the equivalents are the Form M and the SONCAP certificate, covered in our Nigeria guide.

Clearing customs: what you will pay

On arrival you pay the common external tariff duty on the CIF value (goods + freight + insurance), then community or national levies, then VAT. Nigeria and Ghana both apply the ECOWAS tariff bands of 0, 5, 10, 20 and 35% on CIF. In Nigeria, duty is followed by a 7% surcharge on the duty (its status is disputed, see our Nigeria guide), a 0.5% ECOWAS levy, a 1% CISS (also unsettled) and 7.5% VAT. In Ghana, the levies are ECOWAS 0.5%, AU 0.2%, EXIM 0.75% and a 2% Special Import Levy; since January 1, 2026 VAT is 15%, plus NHIL 2.5% and GETFund 2.5%. For US$3,000 of consumer goods (20% band) and US$800 of freight to Abidjan, with 0.5% insurance and the usual UEMOA levies at 584.37 FCFA per dollar, duties and taxes come to about 994,000 FCFA.

Work it out for your own country with our Africa import duty calculator. The right HS code (tariff heading) sets your rate: see what is an HS code. For Nigeria, read the full Nigeria guide.

Avoiding scams and bad surprises

• An agent who refuses to name the factory or show the original invoices is often hiding a margin.
• A bank account in a person's name, or in the name of a company other than the one on the contract: do not pay.
• No sample, no inspection: have the goods checked before you pay the balance. A pre-shipment inspection costs about US$270 per man-day at the big firms. See AQL inspection explained.
• On Alibaba, pay only through the platform to keep Trade Assurance protection, and open a dispute quickly after delivery if the goods do not match.
• If you are defrauded, your embassy cannot recover the money: you must file a complaint in China, in Chinese. It is better to check before paying.

Step by step: your first order

1. List your products, quantities and target selling prices in your local currency, then work out your landed cost with the duty calculator to check your margin.
2. Choose: travel (Canton Fair, Yiwu) or buy remotely (agent, Alibaba, 1688).
3. Ask at least three suppliers for quotes and samples. Our supplier message templates help.
4. Negotiate terms: price, minimum order, lead time, Incoterm (usually FOB, see Incoterms explained), a 30% deposit and the balance after inspection.
5. Pay by transfer to the company, following your country's rules: Form M in Nigeria, domiciliation in the CFA zones.
6. Book freight (shared or full container) and, where required, have the cargo tracking note issued.
7. Hand clearing to a licensed agent with the commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading.

Frequently asked questions

Information checked on October 21, 2026 against the sources cited. Lead times and price levels are indicative and change often. General information, not legal, tax or customs advice. SuanSupply is not affiliated with any agency, fair or market mentioned.