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The Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP) hosted a high-level delegation from the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Abuja. The strategic meeting focused on enhancing institutional cooperation between both nations, particularly in the areas of governance, public administration, investment, and economic development.
Leading the Chinese delegation was Professor Gong Weibin, Vice President of the Central Party School, accompanied by senior officials from key departments within the CPC’s policy and training institution. The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Yu Dunhai, was also present, signaling the importance of the diplomatic outreach.
Welcoming the delegation, NCSP Director-General Joseph Tegbe conveyed the warm regards of President Bola Tinubu, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to the One China Policy and expressing the nation’s readiness to build a resilient and mutually beneficial partnership with China.
Tegbe highlighted Nigeria’s recent engagements at key China-Africa cooperation platforms, including the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo. He applauded China’s support for the Global South and praised President Xi Jinping’s Ten Partnership Action Points, which were unveiled at the 2024 FOCAC Summit, as a credible roadmap for shared development across Africa.
He also commended the implementation of China’s zero-tariff policy for 53 African countries, describing it as a transformative policy that would stimulate trade, improve competitiveness, and position African countries—especially Nigeria—as viable global supply chain participants.
During the engagement, Tegbe outlined several strategic focus areas of the NCSP, including agricultural value chain development, infrastructure modernization, and growing collaboration with Chinese firms in automotive manufacturing and clean energy. These sectors, he said, reflect Nigeria’s drive for industrialization and job creation under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
In response, Professor Gong expressed admiration for Nigeria’s rich cultural diversity and hospitality. Despite his brief stay in the country, he noted Nigeria’s strong potential for economic transformation and regional leadership in West Africa.
Providing insights into the role of the Central Party School, Gong explained that the institution functions as China’s top governance training and ideological research center, with more than 3,600 local branches and a faculty exceeding 100,000. He noted that many faculty members also serve in senior roles within the Chinese government, and that President Xi Jinping previously held the role of the school’s principal.
“The school plays four pivotal roles: leadership training, ideological education, social science research rooted in Chinese values, and high-level policy advice,” Gong said. He acknowledged that several Nigerian civil servants had benefitted from training programs hosted by the Party School, and formally extended an invitation for the NCSP leadership to visit the institution in Beijing for deeper knowledge exchange.
Both parties emphasized the importance of knowledge transfer and people-to-people diplomacy in building enduring partnerships. Tegbe reiterated that the visit was timely as Nigeria intensifies reforms in public sector efficiency, service delivery, and institutional accountability.
He further stressed NCSP’s ongoing commitment to advancing policy innovation, bolstering technical cooperation, and supporting youth-focused development programs in partnership with Chinese counterparts.
The engagement concluded with mutual acknowledgments of shared cultural values such as family cohesion, communal discipline, and long-term planning. Both delegations pledged to continue dialogues that foster mutual trust, economic integration, and sustainable development.
As China continues to expand its Belt and Road Initiative footprint in Africa, the NCSP’s evolving engagement with top Chinese institutions positions Nigeria to play a central role in shaping 21st-century Sino-African cooperation.
The visit also signals renewed confidence in Nigeria’s capacity to attract international technical partnerships that can support national priorities in governance, education, and industrial development.