Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan will travel to China next week to sign off on $3 billion in Chinese loans to build infrastructure in Africa's most populous country, the finance minister said on Wednesday.

The agreed loans will come from the Chinese government and will be based on interest rates of less than 3 percent over a 15-20 year period, Minister of Finance Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said.

The deal underscores increasing Chinese interest in Africa and its resources - Nigeria is the continent's top oil producer - in competition with Western powers.

Okonjo-Iweala estimates Nigeria needs $10 billion a year of investment to improve infrastructure like roads and electricity to keep up with a rapidly growing population, already some 170 million, and to sustain economic growth at around 6-7 percent.

"We know that China fueled its growth by really keeping one step ahead in terms of infrastructure ... we need roads, we need power, we need help on aviation, agriculture," Okonjo-Iweala told Reuters at the presidential villa in the capital.

China has made a string of cheap loans in the past few years to countries in Africa, a continent which supplies oil and raw materials like copper and uranium to the world's most populous country and second-largest economy.

The loans to Nigeria include $500 million to build airport terminals in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano; and over $700 million to build a hydroelectric power plant in Niger State.

It also includes $600 million to build a light railway in the capital Abuja, most of which has already been invested on a project due to be completed early next year.

Lending at below market rates to fund infrastructure projects using Chinese firms has enabled Beijing to cement relationships in Africa while subsidizing its construction industry.

Nigeria's central bank governor Lamido Sanusi warned African governments in March that China's pursuit of raw materials and markets for its manufactured goods on the continent carried "a whiff of colonialism" similar to that introduced by Europeans in centuries past.

"I'm not of the school that says 'look this is colonialism' ... We should be open to whoever wants to invest and help us finance our needs," Okonjo-Iweala said.

The loans are part of a $7.9 billion external borrowing plan approved by Nigeria's national assembly last year as government seeks to up cheaper external borrowing and limit domestic debt.

Okonjo-Iweala said the delegation traveling to China on July 7 would also be discussing China's interest in oil from Nigeria, an OPEC member and Africa's top producer.

"They want more oil and gas ... we have something they want now and they have something we want, so you have grounds for negotiations," Okonjo-Iweala said.

With the discovery of shale oil and gas in the United States, Nigeria is losing its biggest customer and looking for new buyers. India has been increasing its imports from Nigeria.

Yomieluv: nawa ooooo,everytime Nigeria set to do this,Nigeria set to do that,thats all we hear.

the three billion dollars would end up in someone"s pocket,then the circle will go again..


by the way,what position am I?

Horus: [img]http://1.bp..com/-lqFwYL5N_lk/UQ37OxG1kQI/AAAAAAABamY/UWy3aMWitXw/s1600/China-Africa6.jpg[/img]

GenBuhari: Nigerian youths , Nigerian Youths , Nigerian Youths

How many times did I call you?

Are you going to continue to sit idly whilst your inheritance is squandered?

Soon all that you would inherit would a huge debt that would burden you and future generations.

infonubia: I sure hope our leaders know what they are doing.

GenBuhari: Nigerian youths , Nigerian Youths , Nigerian Youths

How many times did I call you?

Are you going to continue to sit idly whilst your inheritance is squandered?

Soon all that you would inherit would be a huge debt that would burden you and future generations.

GenBuhari: Nigerian youths , Nigerian Youths , Nigerian Youths

How many times did I call you?

Are you going to continue to sit idly whilst your inheritance is squandered?

Soon all that you would inherit would be a huge debt that would burden you and future generations.

emmanuel4758: comment is silly wat ar u talkin about do u want revolution afta dat wat would u gain. dats wy buhari ur bros can never win even local chairman election talkless of winin presidential election

Mr knowitall.:
This Nigeria China relationship is becoming disturbing....all this borrowing and borrowing...Nigeria will own China so

much money that it wont be able to pay it back.....The U.K got what it needed from Nigeria and dumped her....then the U.S

got what it needed and dumped her....now the Chinese are getting theirs.....after that...The Russians will also come and

get theirs....then Nigeria will be a useless irrelevant country....China is not the U.S or U.K that will forgive you if the

loans are not paid back ooooo