The President of China Xi
Jinping on Tuesday in Beijing offered 15 million dollars agricultural
assistance to Nigeria for the establishment of 50 Demonstration Farms across
the country.
This is contained in a
statement issued by Mallam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and
Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari and made available to newsmen on
Tuesday in Abuja.
The statement said
President Jinping announced the offer at a meeting between Nigerian delegation
and high-ranking Chinese government officials in Beijing.
It said that the offer
was in response to President Buhari's desire to make Nigeria self-sufficient in
food production.
It added that
President Jinping agreed that Nigeria's chosen path of development through
economic diversification was the best way to go.
``To help Nigeria
achieve this, China promised to fully support the country through
infrastructural development and capacity building,’’ it said.
The statement said
that President Jinping also expressed the readiness of China to set up major
projects in Nigeria.
It listed the projects
to include refineries, power plants, mining companies, textile manufacturing
and food processing industries as soon as the enabling environment was provided
by the Federal Government.
The statement said
that China and Nigeria also agreed to strengthen military and civil service
exchanges as part of a larger capacity-building engagement.
``In line with this,
China offered to raise its scholarship awards to Nigerian students from about
100 to 700 annually.
``In addition, 1,000
other Nigerians are to be given vocational and technical training by China
annually,’’ the statement added.
The statement said
President Jinping applauded the war against corruption being waged by Buhari.
The Chinese leader
assured the Nigerian president that Nigeria would always have a special place
in the affairs of the Peoples Republic of China.
After the meeting,
President Buhari directed that technical committees be immediately established
to finalise discussions on new joint Nigeria/China rail, power, manufacturing,
agricultural and solid mineral projects.
According to the
statement, the technical committees will conclude their assignments before the
end of May.
The statement said
President Buhari welcomed China's readiness to assist Nigeria in her bid to
rapidly industrialize and join the world's major economies.
The statement said
that after the talks, President Buhari and President Jinping witnessed the
signing of several agreements and memorandums of understanding between Nigeria
and China.
They included a
"Framework Agreement between the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the National Development and Reform
Commission of the Peoples Republic of China."
Memorandum of
Understanding on Aviation Cooperation between the Ministry of Transportation
(Aviation) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Ministry of Commerce of
the Peoples Republic of China was also signed
Memorandum of
Understanding between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Government of the
Peoples Republic of China on Scientific and Technological Cooperation and a
"Mandate Letter Between the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and
the Central Bank of Nigeria on Renminbi (RMB) Transactions’’ were also signed.
Credit: NAN Reports
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