Chinese delegation arrives Nigeria, to promote agriculture, others

To further strengthen strong relations between Nigeria and China, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has received a 20-member delegation from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and Guangzhou Chamber of Commerce (GCC) at the Commerce House in Lagos, the Director-General of LCCI, Dr. Chinyere Almona has revealed.

According to her, the President of CCPIT, Mr. Yang Yong, led the delegation, who lauded the resilient and entrepreneurial nature of Nigerians, adding that about 30% of Guangzhou’s trade with Africa had been with Nigeria, adding that the GCC was ready to collaborate with the chamber to increase the volume of trade between both countries. China-Nigeria relations, which dates back to the early 1970s, had progressed significantly in recent years, and currently, Nigeria is China’s third largest trading partner in Africa while China is Nigeria’s largest source of imports.

The LCCI President, Asiwaju (Dr.) Michael Olawale-Cole, has highlighted several areas for investment in Nigeria like agriculture, housing, transportation and renewable energy, noting that Nigeria was open and ready for investment, and that the LCCI was determined to support all-aspiring investors. The parley further provided an opportunity for LCCI and members of the delegation to reaffirm their joint commitments to the progressive improvement of trade, industrial, and other ties between China and Nigeria, foster friendships and understanding between the business communities of Guangzhou in China and Lagos in Nigeria towards promoting cooperation in trade, investment, technology transfer, services and the industry.

The outcome of the meeting led to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed between LCCI, CCPIT, and GCC while key and planned activities would cover trade missions, technical training, business-to-business (B2B) sessions, and continuous engagement, the Director-General stated further. Founded in 1978, the CCPIT is a public service organisation that strives at promoting international trade and investment in Beijing and remains an important link among individuals, enterprises and groups in economic and trade communities and a crucial bridge that connects domestic and foreign business communities for economic and trade exchanges and cooperation.

By promoting international trade and investment, offering international commercial legal services, facilitating the international convention and exhibition industry, establishing multilateral and bilateral mechanisms for international economic and trade cooperation, and developing an application-oriented think tank for international economic and trade activities, CCPIT Beijing was responsible for strengthening official relations between Chinese and foreign businesses, advanced international economic and trade exchanges, contributed to the ‘five key projects’ as well as integration into the new development paradigm by helping Beijing to open wide with high standard ratings within the global community while CCPIT Guangzhou Sub Council is a local body comprising businesses and companies in Guangzhou with the desire to develop and further the interests of local companies and businesses in China.