Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts

Thursday, November 14, 2024

Nigeria signs $1.2 billion deal with Chinese state-owned company to revamp key gas plant

Nigeria has inked a $1.2 billion deal with a Chinese firm to revitalize a gas processing facility, a move that officials say could propel the African country to a leading position in aluminum production.

The deal between the Chinese state-owned CNCEC and the BFI Group, a major investor in the Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria, is expected to revive the 135 million standard cubic feet gas processing facility plant at the smelter. It was announced Tuesday by Nigeria's minister of state for gas via a post on the social platform X.

Minister of State for Gas Ekperikpe Ekpo expressed optimism about the “significant investment,” stating that it would position the smelter “back on the path to becoming a leading aluminum producer for both domestic and international markets.”

Nigeria and China’s economic relationship deepened in 2016, when the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari visited Chinese President Xi Jinping and signed a number of agreements. Since then, Chinese companies have been contracted to build railways and provide infrastructure in Africa’s most populous country.

Despite being a major oil producer in Africa, Nigeria has some of the world’s highest poverty and hunger levels.

President Bola Tinubu, who took office last year, initiated reforms to reduce government spending and attract foreign investment. However, the country continues to face economic challenges, including a 28-year high inflation rate. Its currency, the naira, is at record lows against the dollar.

Many Nigerians have taken the streets in recent months to protest against the economic hardship they say is caused by the reforms. In August, at least 20 protesters were shot dead and hundreds of others were arrested.

By Dyepkazah Shibayan, AP

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Video - Nigeria tourism stakeholders welcome Chinese infrastructure investment



Nigeria is home to a range of incredible attractions, but many sites remain difficult to access due to poor infrastructure and neglect. China's infrastructure agreements with Nigeria could change this, paving way for a more accessible tourism sector through road, energy, and railway projects.

CGTN

Monday, September 16, 2024

Video - Nigeria, China revive $2.4 billion currency swap deal



Nigeria and China have agreed to expand their currency swap agreement, aiming to boost trade in Naira and Yuan, originally signed in 2018. Experts say reducing Nigeria’s trade deficit will be key.

CGTN

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Video - President Tinubu to advocate for increased investments in Nigeria at FOCAC summit



The Director of the Centre for China Studies in Abuja, Charles Onunaiju, says President Tinubu will focus on expanding and consolidating existing cooperation at the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). The expert emphasized that Nigeria urgently needs critical infrastructure, and the 2024 FOCAC summit presents a crucial platform to address that need.

CGTN

Monday, September 2, 2024

Video - China's agricultural assistance improves Nigeria's cassava yields



The China-Nigeria partnership is spearheaded by the National Root Crops Research Institute and the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences. The initiative aims to teach Nigerian farmers how to produce more with fewer resources.

CGTN

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

President Tinubu to visit China seeking economic cooperation

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu will meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a visit to China next week to discuss cooperation on the economy, agriculture and satellite technology, a Nigerian government spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Tinubu, who has set in motion deep reforms in Africa's largest economy, will be in Beijing along with other African leaders to attend the China-Africa Cooperation Summit.

"This is going to be part of a broader engagement where the two heads of state will discuss matters of mutual interest across not just the economy, but also on issues of national, regional, and international security," the spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, said.

Africa is a focus of China's flagship economic cooperation programme.

Tinubu's agenda in China will include site visits to two major Chinese companies: Huawei Technologies and the China Rail and Construction Corporation, as Nigeria looks to complete a high-speed rail line linking Ibadan in southwest Nigeria to the capital in Abuja. Tinubu will also meet with 10 CEOs of major Chinese companies across information and communications technology, oil and gas, aluminium production, seaport and harbour construction, financial services and satellite technology development.

Nigeria is seeking investment to boost its economy, which is battling double-digit inflation, foreign currency shortages and issues such as crude oil theft. 

By Felix Onuah, Reuters

Related story: Video - NEVs, digital economy are key areas for cooperation with China according to foreign minister of Nigeria

 

 


Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Video - NEVs, digital economy are key areas for cooperation with China according to foreign minister of Nigeria



During his official visit to China, Nigeria's Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar said that the China-Africa cooperation framework, as represented by the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative, has provided rare development opportunities for a broad range of African countries, including Nigeria, in an exclusive interview with CGTN's China Africa Talk host Bridget Mutambirwa.

CGTN

Related story: Rail projects in Nigeria drive home China's belt and road commitment to African infrastructure development

 

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Video - Nigeria partners with Chinese firm to invest in first lithium processing plant



A Chinese firm has opened the first lithium processing plant in Nigeria, marking a departure from the past when firms mined and exported the mineral in its raw form from the country. The processing plant located in northwest Nigeria is a joint venture between Ming Xin Mineral Separation and the Kaduna state government.

CGTN

Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Chinese-built metro rail offers exciting, comfortable ride in Abuja, Nigeria

Feeling the gentle hum of the train beneath him, James Anowai, a content creator and YouTuber, was buzzing with excitement as he settled into his seat on the revitalized Abuja Rail Mass Transit (ARMT) in the Nigerian capital, recently.

For Anowai, whose enthusiasm was palpable, this ride was not only his first-ever train experience or journey from one station to another but also an opportunity to share something new and exciting with his followers about the Abuja light rail built by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, a Chinese multinational construction giant.

"Everybody is relaxed. It is very smooth, clean, and, actually, a nice experience. It is something I want to do again, over and over again," he told Xinhua in an interview, capturing the moment on his camera phone clipped to a tripod.

Since its relaunch for commercial operation about a week ago, talks about the ARMT have been making the rounds, with local media abuzz with the prospect of the light rail system in the fast-developing Nigerian capital city.

With the sleek, air-conditioned new trains and well-secured stations symbolizing a step forward in urban commuting and providing a much-needed reprieve from the city's traffic congestion, the now invigorated service aims to serve as a beacon of hope amid the economic challenges faced by many in Nigeria's capital.

During the recent flag-off for commercial operation on May 29, President Bola Tinubu announced that rides on the new metro system would be free until the end of the year -- a move expected to encourage residents to embrace this new mode of transport and ease their economic burdens.

Tinubu, who took a ride on the train together with other top officials, described the operations on the Abuja metro line as "a symbolic milestone of enduring progress as a country and in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)," noting it came about as "a fruit of collaboration, dedication, progress, and foresightedness."

"The Abuja Metro was inherited by my administration, from my predecessor. It was first commissioned in 2018 for public use," he said, adding his administration prioritized its revitalization as part of a desire to have a functional and flourishing FCT with efficient public infrastructure and transportation systems that will serve the people who live and work within the city and the surrounding communities.

The completed 45-km Lot A1 and Lot 3 of the light rail, with a total length of 290 km offering intra-city shuttle service and connecting Abuja's satellite towns to metropolitan transport, are part of the Abuja rail mass transit project designed to have an interface with the national line at two points, where there would be interchanges to join the rail line linking the northern part of Nigeria.

It covers 12 stations, 21 operational offices, 13 bridges, 50 culverts, and nine pedestrian overpasses. The construction of the light rail and its use is expected to open up new towns and boost economic activities along the corridor of Gwagwa, Kalgoni, Dei-Dei, Kubwa, Kukwaba, Dasonga, Asa, among 12 satellite towns in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.

For many passengers, the free ride period has been a much-appreciated relief. Miriam Akpan, a civil servant, expressed her satisfaction with the light rail service, saying: "It is a fantastic initiative."

"The train is comfortable, and the stations are well-maintained. Now, I can save a lot on transport costs going from my house to the office, and with the satisfaction that this is faster than being stuck in traffic at resumption and closing time," she said.

Naomi Oboi, a communications specialist, said she had "a very impressive" experience while using the train from the iconic Abuja Metro Station to the Airport Station, which covers a distance of 28 km, to complete an official assignment. Having used the light rail in Lagos, the country's economic hub, and metro trains in other parts of the world, she said her experience, from the zero-delay boarding to "every single thing" she saw during the travel time on ARMT was without much difference from her previous experiences.

"This is something that, especially with the increase in fuel prices in recent times, would really go a long way to help the average Nigerian, just like me, to make the transportation system very easy and better for us," Oboi said. "This is quality. This is very good, solid. I would say that I did not expect the train in Nigeria to be this solid, to be honest."

"Abuja could benefit from expansion plans," Mustapha Bello, a student at the University of Abuja, told Xinhua, noting that "as the city's residents adapt to this new system, the hope is that it will not only alleviate daily commuting woes but also contribute to the overall economic and social well-being of the Nigerian capital."

Reflecting on his "very unforgettable journey," Anowai expressed his hopes for the future of the rail service, wishing to have the light rail fully extended to Kuje, a low-income suburb of Abuja, where he lives, and works in the city center.

"It is just a smooth ride. I do not need to use public transport or drive my vehicle to this location. It has been a nice journey. This is more than an easy life," he added while adjusting his camera phone and tripod for his next content piece around the metro.

Chinese-made electric multiple unit (EMU) trains are seen at a depot in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 28, 2024. Since its relaunch for commercial operation about a week ago, talks about the Abuja Rail Mass Transit (ARMT) have been making the rounds, with local media abuzz with the prospect of the light rail system in the fast-developing Nigerian capital city. (Xinhua/Yang Zhe)

Chinese-made electric multiple unit (EMU) trains run on the metro rail track in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 23, 2024. Since its relaunch for commercial operation about a week ago, talks about the Abuja Rail Mass Transit (ARMT) have been making the rounds, with local media abuzz with the prospect of the light rail system in the fast-developing Nigerian capital city.

Staff members of the Abuja metro rail operation pose for a group photo in a carriage in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 29, 2024. Since its relaunch for commercial operation about a week ago, talks about the Abuja Rail Mass Transit (ARMT) have been making the rounds, with local media abuzz with the prospect of the light rail system in the fast-developing Nigerian capital city.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu (2nd R, Front) prepares to ride the Abuja metro in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 29, 2024. Since its relaunch for commercial operation about a week ago, talks about the Abuja Rail Mass Transit (ARMT) have been making the rounds, with local media abuzz with the prospect of the light rail system in the fast-developing Nigerian capital city.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu (C) speaks at the commercial operation ceremony of the Abuja metro rail in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 29, 2024. Since its relaunch for commercial operation about a week ago, talks about the Abuja Rail Mass Transit (ARMT) have been making the rounds, with local media abuzz with the prospect of the light rail system in the fast-developing Nigerian capital city.

Chinese-made electric multiple unit (EMU) trains are seen at a depot in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 28, 2024. Since its relaunch for commercial operation about a week ago, talks about the Abuja Rail Mass Transit (ARMT) have been making the rounds, with local media abuzz with the prospect of the light rail system in the fast-developing Nigerian capital city. 

By Olatunji Saliu, Xinhua 

Related stories: Rail projects in Nigeria drive home China's belt and road commitment to African infrastructure development

Video - Electric train linking mainland Lagos with island starts operations in Nigeria

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Chinese supermarket in Nigeria shut for allegedly barring Nigerians

A Chinese-owned supermarket in Nigeria's capital has been shut by the authorities over allegations that it denies entry to African shoppers.


The supermarket in Abuja allegedly "exclusively permits individuals of Chinese descent to enter", Nigeria's consumer protection watchdog said on X.

It has summoned the supermarket's owner.

The Chinese chamber of commerce in Nigeria has denied the racism allegations.

The supermarket is a tenant in a building run by the China General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC).

Boladale Adeyinka, an official at Nigeria's Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), said that the watchdog had launched an investigation into the allegations.

This follows widespread outrage on social media after some Nigerians shared their experiences of allegedly being turned away by security when they attempted to go to the supermarket.

In one of the videos, a man said he had discovered the supermarket online but was blocked from entering the complex where it is located.

"At the gate, the security people told me that the supermarket is strictly for Chinese people. If you are a Nigerian, you can't go inside or buy anything," he said in the clip posted on X, formerly Twitter.

In another video on X, a group of Nigerians are seen visiting a building to verify the reports that non-Chinese shoppers were being turned away.

A security guard outside the entrance appears to tell them that the supermarket had cut off access to Nigerians since January.

Several Nigerians have demanded the closure of the supermarket, including former senator Shehu Sani, who said that any store in Nigeria that was not accessible to citizens "should be forcibly opened or be pulled down".

In a statement quoted by local media, the CGCC said it stood for "equality and inclusiveness".

"Our principles are to enhance friendship between the people of both countries and promote economic development," it added.

The FCCPC quoted an administrator at the building, Sanusi Shuabiu, as saying that the supermarket mainly sold Chinese groceries and that while it was initially opened to serve the building's tenants, it permitted entry to outside shoppers, including non-Chinese visitors.

The supermarket's owner has not yet commented.

She has been summoned to appear before the consumer protection agency by Wednesday.

The watchdog says that the supermarket will remain closed until she complies with the summons.

Nigeria has a Chinese population of less than 10,000, according to the Statista website.

By Mansur Abubakar & Gloria Aradi, BBC

Related story: Video - Trade ties deepen between China and Nigeria

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Video - Trade ties deepen between China and Nigeria



China's growing demand for Nigerian goods is deepening trade relations between the two nations. Last year, trade volumes between Nigeria and China reached almost 23 billion U.S. dollars, marking a significant shift in the rising economic ties.

CGTN

Related story: Rail projects in Nigeria drive home China's belt and road commitment to African infrastructure development

 

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Rail projects in Nigeria drive home China's belt and road commitment to African infrastructure development

Building railways and bridges in Africa are a key focus for Beijing, after senior diplomat for African affairs Wu Peng announced that China will support infrastructure development in Nigeria, while on a trip to the West African nation last month.

It is a sign that China is still committed to enhancing ties and financially backing growth in African nations. But observers have also said that a change in banks financing a major rail project in Nigeria points to China's desire to commercialise its overseas lending.

Wu, the Chinese foreign ministry's director general of African affairs, previously announced the signing of a finance agreement for the Kaduna-Kano railway, a landmark project in the Belt and Road Initiative in Nigeria.

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It came after a promise in October by Chinese President Xi Jinping to finance and complete the Abuja-Kano and Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railway projects during a meeting with Nigerian Vice-President Kashim Shettima on the sidelines of the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.

China had agreed to provide 85 per cent financing for the construction of the two railway projects, while Nigeria was to pay the remaining 15 per cent. This money has since been earmarked by Nigeria for the project, according to Shettima's office.

The funding was originally meant to come from state-owned policy bank China Eximbank, but it pulled the plug back in 2020, citing the Covid-19 pandemic and concerns about Nigeria's ability to repay the loan.

But now the money is being provided by another state-owned policy bank, the China Development Bank (CDB). According to observers, this illustrates China's wish for the commercialisation of overseas loan financing.

And it is not an insignificant sum. For example, with the 203km (126-mile) Kaduna-Kano railway section, after China Eximbank stopped its funding in 2020, Nigeria courted CDB last year.

Previous estimates had put the total cost of the Kaduna-Kano section of the line at US$1.2 billion. The Nigerian government committed US$380 million, with the revised cost to be borrowed set at US$973 million.

Documents put before Nigeria's parliament in April 2023 showed that the Chinese lender would advance a 15-year loan at an interest rate of 2.7 per cent plus the six-month Euro Interbank Offered Rate.

China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) has been responsible for most of the project, which will connect the northern city of Kano with the capital Abuja.

The rubber-stamping of the rail project, according to observers, points to a predicted rise in Chinese lending to Africa in 2024 - a year, they noted, in which Beijing is expected to host the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Tim Zajontz, a research fellow at the Centre for International and Comparative Politics at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, said the financing agreement shows that Nigeria's infrastructure sector remains important for China.

Not only are Chinese contractors widely mobilised across the Nigerian market, "one must also not forget that Abuja has actively sought funding from non-Chinese sources after China Eximbank had pulled out," he said.

"Considering the intensifying geopolitical competition over African infrastructure, President Xi's recent commitment to continue to fund Nigeria's 'railway renaissance' is not surprising," said Zajontz, who is also a lecturer in global political economy at the University of Freiburg.

Although China Eximbank and CDB are both state-owned policy banks, the switchover is "an example of China Eximbank's more restrictive lending policy and indicates a further commercialisation of Chinese overseas loan financing", he said.

Zajontz, who is author of the book, The Political Economy of China's Infrastructure Development in Africa: Capital, State Agency, Debt, also talked of a wider shift in China's overseas development finance.

"Chinese funding is now more restrictive and the focus has shifted from concessional to commercial lending," he said.

Yunnan Chen, a senior research officer at the London-based Overseas Development Institute think tank, said the CCECC is hugely dominant in Nigeria, so it makes sense that they would be the natural contractor for the project.

"CDB loans will likely be more costly and less favourable in terms," she added.

Eximbank also withdrew funding for a section of a railway in Kenya. It had previously financed the US$5 billion leg from the coastal port city of Mombasa to capital Nairobi, with an extension to the central Rift Valley town of Naivasha.

But the bank declined to fund the next section to Malaba, a town on the border with Uganda due to concerns over the project's commercial viability.

However, Kenya is in a much weaker bargaining position than Nigeria, Chen said. "Nigeria is always in a more comfortable position to borrow, at least for the time being, because it has the oil revenues, which make it creditworthy."

According to Chen, Kenya is trying to negotiate the terms of its existing Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) loans, while also trying to ask for new financing for the extension to Uganda. "It's a difficult bargaining position to be in."

Mark Bohlund, a senior credit research analyst at REDD Intelligence, said that Nigeria - similar to Tanzania - is one of the major African economies with a relatively low level of Chinese borrowing. "And it is in this perspective that I view this new loan," he said.

"My assumption is that China Eximbank will be more active than CDB in Africa over the medium term but I think Nigeria might be an exception to the rule in this regard as their oil export revenue allows them, in theory, to take on more debt at commercial terms, which is the majority of CDB's lending, than other African countries."

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

South China Morning Post

Related stories: President Xi Jinping commits to more investments in Nigeria

Video - Nigeria celebrates landmark infrastructure projects built through Belt and Road Initiative

Video - Electric train linking mainland Lagos with island starts operations in Nigeria

Monday, November 20, 2023

Video - Nigerian economists dismiss IMF concerns over China's economic slowdown affecting Africa



They insist that China has been instrumental to Africa's development, and say instead, the West African nation should prioritize solving its internal economic challenges.

CGTN

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Video - Analysts believe Nigerian companies not capitalizing on CIIE opportunities



The China International Import Expo continues in Shanghai. Organizers say it's an opportunity for global companies to tap into the burgeoning Chinese market. However, industry experts in Nigeria say companies there are not fully capitalizing on the opportunities the Shanghai fair is providing.

CGTN

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

China beats Tesla to lithium deposits in Nigeria

Kaduna, a state in northwestern Nigeria, has selected China’s Ming Xin Mineral Separation Nig Ltd. (MXMS) to build the country’s first lithium-processing plant, with a plan to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).

On January 13, the Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency tweeted pictures of its leadership team reviewing the plant’s construction. According to Kaduna State’s mining company, the plant is being built on 9.3 hectares of land. Khalil Nur Khalil, the executive secretary of the state’s investment promotion agency, told Rest of World that the plant is a “game changer,” which he believes will lay the foundation for Nigeria’s ambitions to build “battery factories” and produce “EVs in Kaduna.”

This comes more than five months after the Nigerian government claimed it had rejected Tesla’s proposal to purchase raw lithium from the country.

Ayodeji Adeyemi, special assistant to the minister of mines and steel development, told Rest of World that Tesla’s proposal was rejected because it did not align with the country’s new mining policies.

“Our new mining policy demands that you add some value to raw mineral ores, including lithium, before you export to create jobs and build industries,” Adeyemi said. “They don’t have to turn ores into finished goods. We are only asking them to add some value before exporting.”

In January, Elon Musk, the co-founder and CEO of Tesla, said he sees the company’s biggest competition coming from China. That same month, Tesla even slashed the prices of its cars in China for the second time since September last year.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), China already controls 60% of the world’s lithium processing and is exploring new frontiers, like Nigeria, to expand its dominance. Kaduna is one of several Nigerian states with lithium deposits. At least seven other states in the country are confirmed to have the mineral — essential in the manufacturing of EV batteries — in commercial quantities.

The Nigerian government has relied significantly on funding from China for several landmark projects, including the Abuja Light Rail project, planned terminal expansions at four major airports, and the National Public Security Communications System project. According to Nigeria’s debt management office, Chinese loans represented 3.94% of the country’s total public debt as of March 2020.

Despite increasing Chinese interest in infrastructure financing and construction, the U.S. is still one of Nigeria’s top five sources of imported capital. In 2021, Nigeria received over $2.2 billion from the U.K., over $677 million from the U.S., and $10 million from China, official records from the National Bureau of Statistics show.

Analysis from the IEA shows that to reach net zero emissions by 2050, about 2 billion EVs and hybrids need to be produced and used. However, global lithium reserves can only make about 2.5 billion EVs. This means that lithium will continue to be a valued, in-demand mineral, given that it has alternative uses apart from making EV batteries. It is used to make batteries for laptops, phones, and digital cameras and is also essential in the manufacturing of planes and trains.

“Nigeria can take advantage of this market by leveraging the domestic value-added process to the mineral,” Oghosa Erhahon, a lawyer and energy transition analyst, told Rest of World. “For example, manufacturing batteries for exports. It’s one thing to limit foreign activities, but not building sustainable infrastructure for lithium mining is not favorable, especially with the national plans to diversify exports.”

By Temitayo Lawal, rest of world  

Related stories: First phase of light rail project by Chinese company completed in Nigeria

Nigeria becomes first country in Africa to have Starlink

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Video - Nigerian business people eager to resume travel to China



Nigerian business people are looking forward to resuming regular travel to China, after China relaxed entry and exit conditions. Badamasi Kamaladdin is one of them. He has been buying phones and accessories from the Asian country for nearly a decade, and now says that he has high expectations in 2023 that his business will flourish once again.

CGTN

Thursday, December 22, 2022

First phase of light rail project by Chinese company completed in Nigeria

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Nigeria's southwestern state of Lagos on Wednesday marked the completion of the first phase of a 27-km electric-powered light rail project.

Undertaken by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) since 2010, the completed tracks of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Blue Line project span 13 km in the first phase and cover five stations.

The LRMT Blue Line project is the first rail infrastructure traversing Okokomaiko, a densely populated area in the western part of Lagos, and Marina, a business district on Lagos Island.

It is part of an ambitious transport master plan, which aims to meet the demands of the state as Nigeria's commercial and economic hub and one of the world's fastest-growing megacities.

Declaring the completion of construction on the Blue Line project at a ceremony, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, described the moment as "historic," saying Lagos became the first sub-national government in West Africa to fund and deliver a rail system from the state's balance sheet.

Sanwo-Olu said the milestone was a culmination of "impactful reforms" initiated in the state's transport ecosystem.

"Today, we are making history with the completion of the historic rail line, which is the first phase of the Blue Line," Sanwo-Olu said. "Now, we have put the challenges behind us; from now on, we will focus on the benefits of this project for our people."

The governor said the construction of the second phase of the Blue Line rail project, which covers 14 km, will be launched immediately after the inauguration of the first phase next month.

More than 2,000 Chinese and local employees worked together to optimize the construction even in the face of multiple challenges, such as complicated geology and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Chu Maoming, China's consul general in Lagos.

Huge infrastructure projects like the railway construction would continue to energize the Nigerian economy and promote speedy development, Chu said.

Speaking at the event, Zhang Zhichen, chairman of CCECC Nigeria Limited, said the Chinese firm will continue to maintain the enterprise spirit of "diligence, integrity, and tenacity" while building the follow-up projects with high quality and efficiency.

The first phase of the LMRT Blue Line project is expected to carry over 250,000 passengers daily when in full operation.

Xihua

Related stories: China to invest $40b in Nigeria

China offers Nigeria $6 billion loan for infrastructure

China to build $12 billion railway system in Nigeria

Friday, October 7, 2022

Video - Nigerian students take up Chinese to expand opportunities



Language has always served as a strong bridge between cultures. The diplomatic ties between China and Nigeria have been boosted over the years by Chinese language teaching programs. The Chinese Confucius Institute based in Lagos has been educating thousands of Nigerians on the Chinese language and culture. 

CGTN

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Video - Nigeria event showcases China's Dragon boat festival

 

The Confucius Institute in Nigeria commemorated the 2022 Dragon Boat Festival. Chinese cultural enthusiasts gathered to witness the event which celebrates patriotism and classical poetry. CGTN's Kelechi Emekalam reports.

Thursday, March 17, 2022

Video - Nigeria plans to spend tens of billions to modernise railway network

 

Nigeria is planning to spend tens of billions of US dollars to modernise its railway network. The overhaul could give remote parts of the country a huge economic boost. Al Jazeera's Ahmed Idris reports from Lagos.

Al Jazeera