Nigeria will always utilise the opportunity to deepen its economic relations with China, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has said.
Speaking on Tuesday evening, during a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja by the China-Africa Economic and Trade Promotion Council, the minister said both countries had a lot to learn and benefit from each other, particularly in the area of critical infrastructure development. The Council, led by Li Zhensheng, had taken the opportunity of the visit to discuss potential areas of cooperation between China and Nigeria.
The visit, he said, signified a promising future for China-Nigeria relations and a commitment to work together for mutual growth and development.
Li Zhensheng expressed gratitude for the chance to explore cooperation with Nigeria and emphasized the importance of exchanges to promote economic cooperation between the two countries.
He outlined five primary areas where China and Nigeria could collaborate, which included infrastructure, agriculture, industry, service industry, or trading services, and upgrading Nigeria’s energy sector.
He also highlighted the challenges faced by Nigeria’s infrastructure sector and pointed out China’s decades of experience in reform and opening up, which could be beneficial to Nigeria.
He suggested that Nigeria could be included in the overall layout map being developed by the Chinese government in cooperation with the African Union for railway and road construction across the African continent.
Minister Bagudu responded by expressing gratitude for the visit and acknowledged the high regard Nigerians hold China.
He believes that both countries can learn from each other and foster mutual growth through collaboration, particularly in sectors such as agriculture and infrastructure development.
The Minister also expressed interest in establishing a relationship with the ministry’s counterparts in China and appreciated the offer for industrial parks made by the council.
The Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, he said, remained committed to fostering the alliance with the Council and would share the report of the visit with other state commissioners of budget and economic planning.
The potential areas of cooperation discussed during the visit, Senator Bagudu said, signalled a promising future for China-Nigeria relations and a commitment to working together for mutual growth and development.
