Tag: the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP)

In a renewed effort to strengthen Nigeria-China relations, the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP) hosted a high-powered delegation from the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The visit marked a significant milestone in bilateral institutional cooperation, with particular focus on governance, public service reform, investment, and strategic development planning.

The Chinese delegation was led by His Excellency, Professor Gong Weibin, Vice President of the Central Party School, accompanied by senior officials from key departments within the institution.

Also in attendance was His Excellency Ambassador Yu Dunhai, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria.

Welcoming the delegation, NCSP Director-General, Mr. Joseph Tegbe, conveyed warm greetings on behalf of the President Bola Tinubu.

He reaffirmed Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to the One China Policy and reiterated Nigeria’s desire to build a forward-looking development partnership founded on mutual respect, strategic coordination, and shared prosperity.

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Mr. Tegbe referenced Nigeria’s active participation in recent China-Africa engagements, including the FOCAC Inter-ministerial Meeting and the China–Africa Economic and Trade Expo.

These fora, he noted, have helped further align Nigeria’s development priorities with China’s global cooperation agenda.

He commended China’s leadership in promoting South-South cooperation, describing President Xi Jinping’s Ten Partnership Action Points announced at the 2024 FOCAC Summit, as a robust framework for advancing Nigeria’s national development goals.

He also highlighted the impact of China’s zero-tariff policy for 53 African countries, which he described as a landmark initiative that would significantly enhance trade flows and industrial competitiveness across the continent.

Mr. Tegbe went on to outline Nigeria’s key priority projects, including agricultural value chain development as well as a budding partnership with leading Chinese firms in the vehicle manufacturing sector.

In his remarks, Professor Gong expressed sincere appreciation for Nigeria’s warm hospitality and dynamic cultural environment. Despite having spent only a few hours in the country, he remarked on the positive impression Nigeria had made on him, particularly its vibrancy, diversity, and vast potential.

Professor Gong provided an overview of the Central Party School’s structure and mandate, emphasising its critical role in shaping governance and public administration in China.

With over 3,600 local branches and a faculty strength exceeding 100,000, the School is a pillar of China’s civil service education system and a key think-tank influencing national policy.

He explained that the School is responsible for four core functions: training of civil servants and party leaders, theoretical and ideological research, development of social sciences rooted in local context, and policy advisory services.

Many faculty members also hold senior roles within the Chinese government, and President Xi Jinping himself previously served as the School’s Principal for five years.

Noting the School’s longstanding interest in international exchange, Professor Gong revealed that several Nigerian officials have participated in training programmes over the years.

He extended a formal invitation to Tegbe and the NCSP team to visit the Central Party School in Beijing, with the aim of fostering deeper institutional collaboration and knowledge sharing.

The meeting concluded with mutual expressions of respect and recognition of the cultural and governance values shared between Nigeria and China, particularly in the areas of family cohesion, public discipline, and long-term development planning.

Tegbe described the engagement as timely and enlightening, especially as Nigeria advances reforms in public service delivery and institutional capacity building.

He reaffirmed NCSP’s commitment to strengthening people-to-people exchanges, promoting training and learning opportunities, and enhancing bilateral policy innovation with Chinese partners.

As part of efforts to deepen the longstanding strategic partnership between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the People’s Republic of China, the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP) recently hosted a delegation from Z-Park Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Association. The visit marked a significant step towards strengthening bilateral ties and exploring new areas of cooperation between Nigeria and China.

The delegation, led by Mr. Shi Qilin, Executive Secretary-General of Z-Park Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Association, was received by the Director-General of NCSP, Mr. Joseph Tegbe. Discussions during the visit centered on boosting collaboration to scale up Nigeria’s digital economy, infrastructure development, science and technology, education, and cultural exchanges.

The proposed collaboration aims to harness Chinese scientific and technological achievements. This will provide localized industrial and agricultural solutions tailored to regional needs, creating jobs and boosting economic prosperity. Additionally, the partnership seeks to enhance local workforce skills development through industry-education integration programs, addressing the demand for skilled technicians and managers and thus driving industrialization in Nigeria and Africa.

Mr. Shi delivered a comprehensive presentation on the industrial and technological advancements in Zhongguancun Infovalley Science and Technology Park of the ZGC group. He noted that the group has existed for 25 years and have built 50 parks across China and are committed to replicating the same in Africa, especially Nigeria. He highlighted areas of possible strategic collaboration with Nigeria, leveraging the existing Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone and other initiatives. The group expressed interest in establishing mutually beneficial partnerships with Nigeria, particularly in science, technology, engineering, education, and knowledge transfer.

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While welcoming the delegation, Mr. Joseph Tegbe reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to fostering stronger ties with China, leading to the establishment of the NCSP. He emphasized the administration’s focus on trade, investment, and infrastructure development as vital to economic growth and national progress. Furthermore, he noted opportunities in electricity generation and transmission, deployment of renewable energy solutions, and the production of Electric Vehicles, in line with President Tinubu’s commitment to clean energy.

Other members of the Chinese delegation are Mr. Shen Wei, Executive Secretary-General of Zhongguancun Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Association, Mr. Zheng Yi, Regional General Manager of Beijing Zhongguancun Infogu Asset Management Co Ltd, Mr. Chen Jia, Chairman of Infogu (Tianjin) Industry-Education Integration Technology Co Ltd, Ms. Wang Xiuqing, Africa Regional Manager of Infogu (Tianjin) Industry-Education Integration Technology Co. Ltd, Mr. Kou Jianlu, Director of Infogu (Tianjin) Industry-Education Integration Technology Co. Ltd, Ms. Lv Chunrui, Industry Service Manager at Tianjin Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park Operation and Service Co Ltd and Mr. Liu Zhigang, Deputy General Manager of Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone.

The visit highlights the increasing significance of Nigeria-China relations in promoting economic development and cross-border cooperation. As NCSP’s discussions with ZGC progress, both parties are optimistic about opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration.