The Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening bilateral collaboration with China to deliver measurable and tangible value to Nigeria’s economy.
In a statement on Thursday in Abuja, the Director-General of NCSP, Mr Joseph Tegbe, identified the priority areas to include: trade, investment, technology transfer, infrastructure and capacity building.
“NCSP remains committed to strengthening bilateral collaboration with China across trade, investment, technology transfer, infrastructure and capacity building, with a clear mandate to deliver measurable, tangible value to Nigeria’s economy,” he said.
Tegbe, now the Power Minister-designate, said that the partnership would continue to leverage Nigeria’s long record of diplomatic reliability as a foundation for deeper economic engagement with Beijing.
He also said that the partnership, with focus on manufacturing investment, industrial development and export-oriented production, would befit Nigeria’s scale as Africa’s largest economy.
The director-general acknowledged that China had already made significant contributions to Nigeria’s railway corridors, port and energy infrastructure, telecommunications networks and industrial capacity.
He stated that the partnership must now advance further, into Nigeria’s digital economy, solid minerals sector, agro-processing capacity and consumer market, to deliver a more productive and balanced economic relationship.
Tegbe reiterated Nigeria’s support for the One-China Principle, which recognises People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese Government and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory.
According to him, Nigeria’s commitment to this principle spans more than five decades, dating to the establishment of diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1971.
He recalled that President Bola Tinubu and President Xi Jinping had, at a meeting in Beijing in 2024, issued a joint statement affirming Nigeria’s adherence to the One-China Principle.