China's Belt and Road Initiative and Infrastructural Development in Nigeria, 2018-2024

The history of the relations between Nigeria and China is partitioned into 3 distinct phases. Thefirst phase which was Trade, started in 1971, the second was oil for Infrastructure which startedin 1999 and the third phase was China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) lunched in 2013. BRIhas witnessed significant growth in Infrastructure development between 2018-2024. Theinitiative has breached the $ 1 trillion mark in cumulative engagement, with $634 billion inconstruction contracts and $419 billion in non-financial investment. While scholars haveseriously interrogated the first two phases, not much has been done about the third. Thus, thefollowing research questions guided the study: Has China Belt and Road Initiative enhancedthe transportation sector in Nigeria? Has China's Belt and Road Initiative enhanced informationand communication technology ICT development in Nigeria? The study adopted an Ex postfacto research design, it employed the documentary method in collection of data and utilizedcontent analysis in the analysis of data collected. The study also relied on Complexinterdependency theory as a theoretical framework of analysis. Findings from the studyindicates that China's Belt and Road initiative has had a significant impact on infrastructuraldevelopment in Nigeria, contributing to advancement of transportation sector as well as thedevelopment of information and communication technology ICT in Nigeria. The studyrecommends for the diversification of funding sources for transportation infrastructure inNigeria by the Federal Government. This can be achieved through looking inwards, optionslike domestic financing, and private investors can be utilized in a bid to avoid debt trap ordependence on the Chinese government’s initiative such as BRI. And also Mandatory riskassessment on BRI project to evaluate potential risks associated with ICT development inNigeria.