- Most Nigerians support free trade with the rest of the world: Four-fifths (80%) say it is better for the country’s economy if the government makes it easier to trade with other countries, although 18% would prefer to limit international trade to protect Nigerian businesses (Figure 1).
- If the government wanted to make it easier to trade with other countries, a majority (68%) of citizens would favour open trade with all countries worldwide, rather than limiting it to certain countries. About one-fourth (23%) would privilege African countries for trade, while 5% would prefer that the focus be on countries in West Africa (Figure 2).
- Seven in 10 citizens (69%) say West Africans should be able to move freely across borders in order to trade or work, while three in 10 (29%) think the government should restrict the cross-border movement of people and goods (Figure 3).
- Nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents say that, in practice, crossing international borders is “difficult” or “very difficult” (Figure 4).
Most Nigerians support free trade and open borders for work and trade within West Africa, but in reality, crossing borders remains difficult, Afrobarometer’s latest survey shows.
Eight in 10 Nigerians would prefer the government to make it easier to trade with other countries, including more than two-thirds who would prefer open trade with all countries worldwide.
And seven in 10 say people in West Africa should be able to move freely across international borders to trade or work in other countries.
Yet nearly two-thirds of Nigerians say crossing international borders is “difficult” or “very difficult.”
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