Energy, agriculture and infrastructure development are key areas for cooperation with China, said Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar on Saturday.
Tuggar, who is paying an official visit to China from June 19 to 26, co-chaired the first session of the China-Nigeria Intergovernmental Committee with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Friday.
In an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network, Tuggar shared the outcomes of his visit to China so far, as well as his assessment of the bilateral ties.
"We've held the joint inter-governmental committee meeting, which is something that was signed between Nigeria and China in 2021. This is the first plenary session, along with my colleague Minister Wang Yi of China. So, that was a very important development. And then we had a business forum, which was equally very important, very exciting, and other meetings as well," said Tuggar.
The China-Nigeria Intergovernmental Committee is the first intergovernmental committee mechanism established between China and African countries.
The two countries have enjoyed a vigorous bilateral cooperation in various areas, according to the foreign minister.
"Apart from the obvious - hydrocarbons, oil and gas, Nigeria is the No.1 oil producer in Africa, it produces gas as well, LNG. We have a six-train LNG [operation]. We also export agricultural products from sesame, to ginger, to palm oil. But at the same time, we import a lot of finished products from China. And China has been investing heavily in infrastructure development," said Tuggar.
Official data showed that Nigeria-China trade volume reached 22.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, making Nigeria China's third-largest trading partner in Africa.
Energy, agriculture, infrastructure key areas for cooperation with China: Nigerian FM
Energy, agriculture, infrastructure key areas for cooperation with China: Nigerian FM
