What noodles can teach us about Nigeria's reluctance on free trade
If you want to understand why trade is such a contentious topic for Africa’s largest economy, just consider the noodles.
The instant noodles, to be precise.
Over the last three decades, those iconic bricks of dried wiggly dough – known locally as Indomie after a popular brand – have become a staple of the Nigerian diet. Today, in fact, the country has the 12th largest instant noodle market in the world, with 1.76 billion servings of the starchy stuff sold here each year. And thanks to a government ban on noodle imports, almost all is locally produced – a rarity in a country that imports many of its staples.
