How shipping from China to Africa works
What a shipment goes through between a Chinese factory and the consignee in Africa, who handles each step and where it most often gets stuck, explained in one process table.
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A shipment from China to Africa usually passes through 7 stages: goods and documents, pickup and warehousing in China, export declaration, booking and loading, sea or air transport, clearance at the destination port, and final delivery. The sea leg takes the longest, but the least predictable parts are the declarations at both ends.
- Sea-leg transit times are fairly stable: Lagos 30 to 38 days, Tema and Mombasa 28 to 35 days, Dar es Salaam 30 to 38 days.
- How fast destination clearance goes mainly depends on complete documents, certificates being in place, and a declaration that matches the actual cargo.
- Certification requirements (such as SONCAP in Nigeria or PVoC in Kenya) should be handled before shipping; fixing them after arrival is usually slower and more expensive.
Information updated: 2026-10-03
What happens at each of the 7 stages
| Stage | Main work | Common sticking points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Goods and documents | Confirm description, quantity, material and use; prepare invoice and packing list; check whether certification is needed | A vague description means rework at every later step |
| 2. Pickup and warehousing in China | Factory delivers or the forwarder collects; the warehouse checks pieces, weighs and measures | Piece count doesn't match the packing list; cartons have no shipping marks |
| 3. Export declaration | Declare to China Customs with the required data elements; assist with inspection if needed | Description doesn't match the goods; sensitive items not truthfully declared |
| 4. Booking and loading | Book and stuff full containers; LCL goes to the consolidation warehouse for loading | Overbooking and rolled containers in peak season; missed cut-off |
| 5. Main-leg transport | By sea or air to the destination port or airport | Delays at transshipment ports; skipped port calls |
| 6. Destination clearance | Submit documents, pay duties, assist inspection, release and collect the container | Missing documents, valuation disputes, inspection queues, system outages |
| 7. Final delivery | Collect and unstuff the container; self-pickup or door delivery | Consignee unreachable; road conditions to inland cities |
Who is responsible for which part
Responsibility shifts with the trade term. Under FOB, the seller is responsible until the goods are loaded at the Chinese port. Under CIF, the seller also pays ocean freight and insurance, but the transport risk has already passed to the buyer at loading. Under DDP, the seller is responsible up to the door and pays the destination country's duties and taxes.
Many small and mid-sized African buyers choose "double clearance, duties included, to the door": one logistics provider handles both the Chinese export declaration and the import clearance in the destination country, with duties bundled into the freight. It saves effort, but the contract should state clearly which charges are included and which situations are billed separately.
How to keep the whole journey smooth
- Before ordering, confirm whether the product can be shipped and whether it needs certification; don't wait until the goods are ready to check.
- Keep the description, piece count and weight on the invoice and packing list consistent with the actual goods, and use one set of documents all the way through.
- Put shipping marks on every carton. This matters most for LCL cargo, which is otherwise easily mis-sorted at the destination.
- Leave a buffer: in peak season (roughly September to January) bookings are tighter and destination ports more congested.
If you're unsure how to prepare a step, send the product description, quantity and destination city to your logistics provider and ask them to list what they need. It's faster than guessing.
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Nigeria take overall?
By sea, usually around 40 to 55 days in total: 30 to 38 days at sea, with the rest spent on warehousing and export declaration in China and on clearance and delivery at the destination. Incomplete documents or an inspection make it longer.
How soon can the goods be collected after arrival?
Fairly quickly when documents are complete, duties are paid and there is no inspection; longer if an inspection or extra documents are needed. When Nigerian ports are congested, queuing time also has to be factored in.