A lot of business owners have had to answer the question of “what kind of business can I start?” at a point in their career. The 10 most popular importation businesses in 2021 feature different categories of products that entrepreneurs can invest in successfully.

Most times, industry trends, popular market demand, passion, and experience of entrepreneurs influence what kind of business entrepreneurs eventually invest in. 

For many, importation has made it easier to own and launch their own business. Getting started in the importation business is quite easy if you know the ropes. And with the increasing demand for a lot of foreign products, entrepreneurs now have a huge opportunity to grow their businesses more than ever.

The importation industry has opened up a new emerging and fast-growing economy and now is the best time to get started whether as a wholesaler, retailer, contractor, or manufacturer.

In 2020, Nigeria imported US$53 billion worth of goods from around the globe, up by 47.3% since 2016 and up by 11.8% from 2019 to 2020. This is an indication that there is an increasing demand for imported products in Nigeria and smart business owners like you already know what this means.

Here is a curated list of top imported products In Nigeria upon which you may decide to build your importation venture:

1. Pharmaceutical Products

This is worth about $5.3 Billion in the imported category as of 2020. As a business owner, you can import products in the pharmaceutical industry such as certified drugs, scientific medical equipment like thermometers, microscopes, and lots more. You can become a trusted supplier to labs and pharmacies around you. Before investing in Pharmaceutical products, there are certain licenses you must obtain. These include Certificate of pharmaceutical products (CPP), NAFDAC registration number, CAC certificate, Registration of premises, and other importation documents.

2. Auto Products

Due to the high demand for auto spare parts in Nigeria, the industry is huge with opportunities for business owners whose passion lies in the auto industry. As Nigeria is the biggest importer of vehicles and auto spare parts in Africa, there is a potential demand for the products. This industry contributed $5.3Billion as of 2020 in the importation category. Naiyuan Mart can help you source fast-selling auto products and import them for you directly from Chinese manufacturers and suppliers.

3. Electronic Products

This includes electronic appliances, gadgets, smartphones, and computers. Nigerian electronic industry has a huge gap as many people still depend on importation from China or other countries to get either second-hand or quality brand new electronic gadgets. Appliances like refrigerators, DVDs, television, computers, etc are imported from China every year to fill the huge gap in the industry. At Naiyuan Mart, we have access to a database of reliable electronic gadget suppliers in China that are ready to sell to you at an affordable rate. You can find out more about our services here

4. Chemical Goods

This industry is worth about $1.3Billion as of 2020. You can launch your business by selling chemicals used in soap production, skincare products, tie and dye, cleaning products, paint production, and so on. These industrial chemicals have a potential market in Nigeria because of the booming manufacturing, fashion, and creative industry.

5. Beauty Products

The beauty and makeup industry is seeing an influx of beauticians and makeup artists. More and more influential entrepreneurs are branding their own lipgloss, powders, eyeliners, and lots more. Also, products like shampoos, body wash, hair conditioners, organic body lotions, etc have a huge demand and there is a large market ready for this kind of business.

6. Solar Products

At the moment, Nigeria lacks a steady electricity supply, yet it is extremely rich in the supply of solar energy resources. With the global development of solar power technology and Nigeria’s limited manufacturing capacity, there is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs who want to import solar power equipment from China to solve the electricity problem. More household gadgets such as microwaves, refrigerators, and even farm equipment are now designed to rely on solar power to function. This has increased productivity and convenience for end-users.

7. Building Materials/Interior Decors

Building materials such as aluminum, tiles, roofing sheets, etc are cheap from the Chinese markets and construction engineers rely on procurement companies like Naiyuan Mart to help source and import these materials. Interior decor items such as curtains, chandeliers, furniture, artworks, etc also have a huge potential market in Nigeria.

8. Fashion Items

The market for fashion items and accessories is ever demanding and business owners are flooding Chinese websites every day in search of reliable suppliers for branded fashion items and accessories. You can brand your own clothes, shoes, bags, watches, eyeglasses, etc. The fashion demand in Nigeria keeps expanding and there’s a huge demand and supply gap to fill.

9. Agro-Machinery

Modern farmers rely heavily on agricultural machinery to make their processes more efficient and increase farm productivity. This provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to procure and import quality machines like shredding machines, harvesters, feed processing machines, tractors, etc. from China.

10. Plastic Products

Due to the increase of branded items by entrepreneurs, more and more products are packaged in plastics such as beauty products, foods, etc. You can become a supplier of plastic such as packaging bottles for food, beauty products, household items, souvenirs, traveling bags, etc. Working with Naiyuan Mart gives you a great advantage as a business owner because Naiyuan Mart is domiciled in both China and Nigeria and we already have territorial knowledge of Chinese suppliers and markets.

We hope that this list has given you an insight into what kind of importation business you can invest in.  If you need help with procuring any of the items, sourcing for and paying verified Chinese suppliers, communicating with manufacturers, and importing your products from China, Naiyuan Mart remains your reliable and trusted supply chain management company to help you get it done.

You can talk to our agent via WhatsApp here.

Can you suggest other popular importation businesses or do you have questions on what you have just read? Let’s interact. We would love to hear from you. Feel free to drop your comments below.