Nigeria and the People’s
Republic of China on Monday
signed a bilateral agreement
of over eight million China’s
Yuan (about 400 million
naira) for various projects in
the FCT.
The projects were feasibility
studies of the second phase
of the Abuja Solar Powered
Traffic Control Signal,
Agricultural Demonstration
Centre and the 2016 Bilateral
Training Programmes.
This is contained in a
statement issued by Mr
James Akpandem, Media
Adviser to Sen. Udoma Udo
Udoma, Minister of Budget
and National Planning in
Abuja.
“The agreement was signed
at the sixth session of the
Economic, Trade and
Technical Cooperation Joint
Commission meeting in Abuja.
“The agreement is a prelude
to Chinese government’s full
involvement in the projects
once they are certified
feasible.
“The project will be funded
through gratis assistance as
part of the 2012 Economic
and Technical Cooperation
Agreement between the two
governments,” the statement
said.
It said Udoma signed on
behalf of the Federal
Government while China’s
Vice Minister of Commerce,
Mr Qian Keming, signed on
behalf of the People’s
Republic of China.
“RMB Yuan 6,000,000.00 is
allocated for training
programmes; the Agricultural
Centre is allocated RMB Yuan
1,000,000.00, while the solar
project study has RMB Yuan
1,200,000.00.
“Since the last Joint
Commission Session held in
Beijing, China, in 2009, the
relationship between the two
countries has further
deepened with increased
trade, investments and
technical activities.
“This raised the volume of
trade from U.S.$6.37 billion in
2009 to U.S.$14.94 billion in
2015.”
It said that the sixth
Ministerial Conference of the
Forum of China-African
Cooperation, South Africa in
2015, identified 10 critical
areas of cooperation.
“The visit to China by
President Muhammadu Buhari
early this year further
bolstered Nigeria’s
participation in the 10 focal
areas.
“These areas involve
Industrialisation, Agricultural
Modernisation,
Infrastructure Development,
Financial Cooperation, Green
Development, Trade and
Investment Facilitation,
Poverty Reduction, Public
Health, Cultural and People-
to-People Exchange and
Peace and Security.”
It quoted Udoma as soliciting
China’s assistance for the
completion of the Abuja Light
Rail project and the Greater
Abuja Water Works project,
which had been presented
for funding through
concessionary loan.
The minster drew attention
to the imbalance in trade
relations between the two
countries and emphasised
the need to bridge the gap
for the sustainability of the
cooperation framework.
Udoma also called on the
Chinese Government to
reduce the high tariff on
agricultural exports from
Nigeria which currently stood
at five per cent.
According to it, a reduced
tariff is capable of narrowing
the trade imbalance between
the two countries, which
averaged at U.S.5.9 billion
dollars in the last five years.
The statement quoted Qian
as promising that the
Chinese government would
do everything possible to
enhance the relationship
between both countries to
ensure timely completion of
all the projects.

Keneking:
Nonsense, all fat lies