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Best Africa LogisticsShipping from China to Africa

BEST AFRICA LOGISTICS

You have an order from Africa

Logistics for Chinese exporters to Africa

Customers want a delivered price, and leaving customs to them gets cargo stuck. We give you one price to add to your quote.

Workers in a factory loading bay forklift stretch-wrapped pallets of cartons into a container
Collect at destination or choose delivery
  • Who it is for

    Typical customers

  • Manufacturers
  • Trading companies
  • Factories without an export licence
  • 98%Clearance rate (port arrival to release)
  • 3 daysAverage clearance (port arrival to release)
  • 10+ yearsChina-Africa freight experience
  • 2,000+Customers served in total

Short answer

Updated: August 2026

How should exporters ship orders to Africa?

Quote your customer a duties-paid door-to-door price, and have one company handle export declaration, certification and import clearance. Do not leave clearance to the overseas customer.

  • The total door-to-door price is fixed before shipping and the quote is the final bill, so you can add it straight to your price to the overseas customer.
  • Factories without an import-export licence can complete the export declaration through an agency declaration, which we help arrange.
  • When you take the order we confirm whether the destination needs SONCAP, NAFDAC or other certification, and handle it while the goods are being produced.
  • Clearance in Nigeria is handled by our own team in Lagos, so your overseas customer does not have to deal with the paperwork when the goods arrive.

Common problems

01

You cannot promise your customer a door-to-door price

With only a sea-freight price, clearance fees, duties and delivery costs at destination are unknown. You can only quote to the port, so your customer hesitates over the uncertain extra costs, or disputes them after the goods arrive.

02

No export licence, and no idea how to declare

Many factories do not have their own import-export licence and, after winning an overseas order, are unsure how to complete the export declaration.

03

Certification requirements discovered just before shipping

Mandatory certification for Nigeria and other countries must be completed before loading. Finding out the goods need SONCAP only when they are finished and ready to ship delays both production and shipping plans.

04

When the customer's own clearance goes wrong, the shipper takes the blame

Overseas customers unfamiliar with local clearance, or missing required certificates, cannot collect the goods on arrival. Demurrage builds up daily, and the shipper is often asked to share the cost, which can even put future orders at risk.

Our approach

A door-to-door price you can quote straight to your customer

Sea freight, import clearance, duties and inland delivery are combined into one door-to-door price. You can add it straight to the goods value in your quote, without leaving a buffer for later costs.

Help with agency export declaration

You can ship without an export licence: provide the goods details and the sales contract, and we help complete the export declaration through an agency declaration. The exact method depends on how you settle payment and claim tax refunds.

Certification in step with production

When you take the order we confirm whether the destination needs SONCAP, NAFDAC or other certification, and start the process while you produce, so the goods are not ready with no way to ship.

We handle clearance at destination

Clearance in Nigeria is handled by our own team in Lagos, not passed to a third party. We update you at every milestone, from loading and sailing to arrival, release and delivery sign-off, so you can always tell your customer where the goods are.

Customer stories

  • Local wholesalerHardware wholesaler, Oshodi, Lagos

    Goods from several suppliers, consolidated into one shipment to Lagos

    Mr. IbrahimHardware wholesaler
    “What I care about most is whether each supplier's goods have arrived. Every batch comes with photos and a carton count. The hinge batch was 30 cartons short — it was caught and made up before shipping, not discovered after arriving in Lagos.”
  • Local buyerApparel and footwear wholesaler, Aba

    Shared-container shipping to my shop, no need to fill a full container

    Mr. EmekaWholesaler
    “Before, it didn't pay unless I filled a whole container, and once goods reached Lagos I had to find someone to forward them. Now I ship by LCL straight to my shop in Aba and order at the pace I sell.”
  • Local distributorLighting products distributor, Kano

    Missing documents for lighting products sorted before shipping

    Alhaji SaniLighting products distributor
    “Once they received the goods they checked the product documents first. Whatever needed to be added was listed clearly.”

FAQ: Chinese factories and trading companies exporting

We are a factory without an import-export licence. Can we still ship?

Yes. We can help you complete the export declaration through an agency declaration; you just provide the goods details and the sales contract. The exact method depends on how you settle payment and claim tax refunds, so please mention this when you ask for a quote.

Can the duties-paid price go up along the way?

No. Door to door with duties included is one all-in price with no other charges; the quote is the final bill. Only three things are charged separately: extra duties and fines when the declaration does not match the actual goods, demurrage and storage caused by the receiver, and SONCAP or NAFDAC certification ordered separately. The full terms are on the service guarantee page.

We need to send samples to our overseas customer first. How should we send them?

Samples and urgent goods go by air, duties paid to the door: from 21 kg, 7 - 12 days to the door in Nigeria, including clearance, duties and local delivery. Your customer does not have to go to the airport to deal with paperwork.

Do the goods need insurance?

The all-in duties-paid door-to-door price already includes cargo insurance, so the goods are covered all the way and you do not need to buy it separately. Please declare the real value of the goods; if there is a loss, we help you claim under the policy terms.

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Business hours
Mon to Sun, 2:00 - 17:00 Lagos time (WAT)
Lagos warehouse 1
No 2 Henry Carr Street, By Guinness Bus Stop, Ikeja, Lagos State 102212, Nigeria
Lagos warehouse 2
No. 5 Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos State 101233, Nigeria
Head office, China
Ground Floor, Building 12, No.8 Tangwei Industrial Ave, Fuhai Subdistrict, Bao'an District, Shenzhen 518103, China
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