Compare and contrast the trade relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom with that between Nigeria and Japan

Answer Details

Trade relations: Nigeria-United Kingdom compared with Nigeria-Japan

Similarities (comparison)

• In both cases Nigeria's trade is unfavourable/dependent: Nigeria mainly exports raw materials/primary products (crude oil, cocoa, rubber, hides) and imports manufactured goods (machinery, vehicles, electronics, chemicals) from both partners.
• Both the UK and Japan are industrialized nations that sell high-value finished goods to Nigeria, so Nigeria often runs the weaker side of the exchange with each.
• Trade with both moves by sea (and air) over long distances and both are important trading partners of Nigeria.

Differences (contrast)

• Historical basis: Nigeria-UK trade rests on long colonial and Commonwealth ties, long-established commercial links and a common language; Nigeria-Japan trade is more recent, purely commercial, without colonial history.
• Nature of goods: the UK supplies a wide range of manufactures, services and financial links, while Japan concentrates on vehicles, motorcycles, electronics and heavy machinery.
• Direction and distance: the UK is nearer (Europe) with older shipping routes; Japan is much farther (the Far East), so Nigeria-Japan trade involves longer transport routes and higher freight.
• Balance and volume: trade with the UK is broader and long-standing, whereas Japan buys relatively little from Nigeria, so Nigeria's trade deficit with Japan is often wider than with the UK.

Conclusion: In both relationships Nigeria acts mainly as a supplier of raw materials and a market for manufactured goods, but the UK link is older and colonial in origin while the Japanese link is newer, more distant and dominated by machinery and vehicles.