Nigeria and China signed several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) during President Bola Tinubu's official visit to Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

The agreements, signed on Tuesday, cover areas such as the Belt and Road Initiative, nuclear energy cooperation, human resource development, and media exchange, and were finalized in the presence of both leaders.

These MoUs were concluded ahead of President Tinubu's participation in the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, scheduled for September 4-6, 2024.

This disclosure was contained in a statement by Ajuri Ngelale, the presidential spokesperson.

“During the meeting, both presidents witnessed the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) on various areas of mutual interest: 

“Cooperation plan between Nigeria and China on jointly promoting the Belt and Road Initiative 

“Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the peaceful application of Nuclear Energy of Understanding on strengthening cooperation on Human Resource Development under the Global Development Initiative 

“Memorandum of Understanding on Media Exchange and Cooperation 

“Memorandum of Understanding between China Media Group and the Nigerian Television Authority,” a portion of the statement read.  

These agreements mark a significant step in strengthening the strategic partnership between Nigeria and China, laying the groundwork for future collaboration across various sectors.

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The statement provided more details on President Tinubu's visit to Beijing, where he discussed Nigeria’s economic potential and ongoing reforms with President Xi Jinping.

President Tinubu highlighted Nigeria's economic potential as Africa's largest population and economy. He emphasized that Nigeria's youthful population could drive cross-sectoral growth and trade opportunities,

“Nigeria holds great potential as the country with the largest population in Africa and is the biggest economy with a very young population that can drive economic growth and cross-sectoral programmes,” President Tinubu said. 

Furthermore, he reiterated his administration's commitment to ongoing economic reforms, mirroring China’s successful approach under President Xi.

“We believe that President Xi has demonstrably reformed the Chinese economy, and our reform programme in Nigeria is on a similar course. I am a reformer with verifiable antecedents,” Tinubu said.  

He also noted that reforms, including tax and tariff adjustments, would promote sustainable growth and create a more conducive environment for foreign investment.

On his part, President Xi Jinping emphasized the strong diplomatic ties between China and Nigeria, which have been in place for over 50 years.

He noted that both countries, as major developing nations, aim to enhance strategic coordination, which will invigorate China-Africa relations and support collective progress among Global South countries.

Both leaders see this partnership as a way to contribute to the overall development of China-Africa ties. The upcoming 2024 FOCAC Summit will serve as a platform to further solidify these connections and strengthen the longstanding friendship between the two nations.