China has witnessed consistent economic growth and development in the past two decadesand half in spite of the significant downturn recorded in the global economic performanceduring part of the period of this dramatic achievement. Principally, the Chinese economicdevelopment is the direct outcome of the economic restructuring embarked in 1978. Ofinterest is the fact that while the one time economically fragile communist nation has madesuch a tremendous progress within a period of less than three decades, most of the developingcountries in the Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Nigeria, the sub regional power thatengaged in similar economic reforms in 1986 has performed grossly below expectation inspite of its economic potentials. Why this sharp variation in the outcomes of the reforms inthe two nations, what’s the missing link in the Nigerian economic reforms? This paperbasically provides the response to these fundamental questions in its comparative analysisof the two distant economies and draws significant lessons for the less successful SSAeconomies undergoing economic reforms. China has witnessed consistent economic growth and development in the past two decades and half in spite of the significant downturn recorded in the global economic performance of the part of the period of this deiadoment. Principally, the Chinese economic development is the direct outcome of the economic restructuring embarked in 1978. Ofinterest is the fact that while the one time economically fragile communist nation has madesuch a tremendous progress within a period of less than three decades, most of the developing countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Nigeria, the subregational power thatengaged in similar economic reforms in 1986 grossly below desirable expect inspite of its economic potentials. This paperbasically provides the response to these fundamental questions in its comparative analysisof the two distant economie s and draws significant lessons for the less successful SS Economies undergoing economic reforms.