By Merit Ibe
In efforts to drive industrialisation and economic diversification, the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP) and the China-Africa Geoscience Cooperation Center and Yangtse Automotive Group are in collaboration to invest in the mining and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing sectors. The aim of the partnership is to revitalise Nigeria’s manufacturing base and unlock sustainable industrial growth. At a meeting held at the NCSP in Abuja, where its Director General, Mr. Joseph Tegbe, emphasised the urgent need for Nigeria to re-industrialise by leveraging strategic Chinese investments to build a resilient and competitive industrial ecosystem by attracting long-term Chinese investors.
He highlighted opportunities across the full EV value chain, from mineral extraction and refining to battery storage, charging infrastructure, and vehicle manufacturing, positioning Nigeria as a hub for clean mobility and energy innovation in West Africa. These efforts are to complement the strides of the Minister for Solid Minerals, Mr. Dele Alake.
Speaking on behalf of the Chinese delegation, Professor Hu Peng, Secretary General of the China-Africa Geoscience Center, reaffirmed President Xi Jinping’s commitment to China-Africa cooperation. He noted the Centre’s longstanding collaboration with Nigeria in geoscience research and capacity building, while spotlighting the readiness of Yangtse Automotive and Hubei Wan New Energy to invest in Nigeria’s evolving industrial landscape.
As part of the next steps, Yangtse Automotive, Hubei Wan New Energy and NCSP have agreed to collaborate to ensure the immediate realisation of the proposed investments and ensure efficient and effective regulatory approvals in both China and Nigeria. A formal expression of interest is to be submitted to NCSP outlining specific areas of collaboration. The NCSP team will, in turn, undertake a technical visit to Hubei Wan New Energy’s facilities in the coming weeks to assess capacity and feasibility.
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