By Our Correspondent
The Federal Government has intensified its partnership with leading Chinese engineering and financial institutions to expand Nigeria’s electricity generation and transmission capacity and strengthen the reliability of the national power system.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, led a Nigerian delegation to Beijing for strategic engagements with the China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), Sinomach Group, China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation (SINOSURE), Standard Chartered Bank and China National Electric Engineering Corporation (CNEEC).
As part of the engagements, the delegation witnessed a factory acceptance test for transmission cables at Hengfei Cable’s industrial park in Changsha.
Tegbe said the objective of the visit was to move beyond conventional contractual arrangements towards deeper and more sustainable partnerships covering electricity generation, transmission, hydropower, project financing and industrial investment.
He said discussions focused on converting bilateral cooperation into bankable projects, financed investments and completed infrastructure capable of expanding transmission capacity, improving system reliability and supporting Nigeria’s economic growth.
The minister also invited the Chinese companies and their partners to Nigeria to explore investment opportunities beyond the power sector, including steel production, automotive manufacturing, digital infrastructure and data centres, cold-chain logistics and sugar processing.
According to him, Nigeria is developing a structured industrial cooperation platform aligned with its broader industrialisation priorities, with the aim of attracting investments that can create productive capacity, jobs and economic value.
Tegbe further reaffirmed the Ministry of Power’s readiness to enter into strategic partnerships on electricity infrastructure projects to deliver reliable power and unlock greater economic opportunities for Nigerians.
The engagements underscore the growing focus of Nigeria-China cooperation on translating bilateral relations into practical infrastructure, industrial and development outcomes. (GSF)