Nigeria, China Collaborate on Abuja Creative City Project
The Chargé d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy, Mr. Zhang Yi, has reiterated China’s commitment to collaborating with Nigeria on cultural exchange programs and infrastructure development.
During a courtesy visit to the Honorable Minister, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, in Abuja over the weekend, the Acting Ambassador to Nigeria committed to ongoing collaborations with the Ministry of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy.
Mr. Yi emphasized the significance of the partnership between Nigeria and China, particularly in infrastructural development. He highlighted the Minister’s strategic agenda for partnerships and infrastructure projects, especially the plans to develop the Abuja Creative City project.
“China has been putting great efforts into supporting the sovereignty of Nigeria. We are also encouraging Chinese companies to come and invest in Nigeria. That is why a lot of Chinese companies have a huge presence here in Nigeria but the foundation of both countries wouldn’t be solid without cultural and people exchanges, and that is why my country attaches great importance to cultural tourism and people-to-people exchanges between China and Nigeria”, he said.
“Nigeria has a rich cultural background and we need to do Cultural Exchanges. We should get to know each other better to strengthen our relationship. We are planning to host President Tinubu in China in September and we hope you will be a part of the delegation so you can come and see the culture of China”, he added
In response, Nigeria’s Minister of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, emphasized the need for both countries to align in cultural areas to showcase their unique strengths to the world.
According to her, “I would like us to explore different programs and initiatives that we can do together at Davos or UNGA or the Olympics or something to show the world that China and Nigeria are very much aligned.”
“Investment is very important for us and I think there are lots of investments to be made in Nigeria, especially with the ministry. We want to build infrastructure, one of which is the Abuja Creative City which is going to be a huge one-stop shop for everything culture and creative in Africa. The Abuja Creative City will house film studios, arenas, museums and galleries. We don’t have a museum in Abuja so we plan to have our own Louvre in Abuja,” she added
The Minister Musawa further explained that, “We are working with the FCT ministry to identify some potential locations for the project. We want to have China Town, Korea Town, India Town, Brazil Town, etc in the Creative City. These are some of the things we can collaborate on, and I know that in terms of infrastructure, China is the best, so I look forward to some collaborations”.
The Minister and the Ambassador also reviewed the progress made during the inaugural meeting of the Culture and Tourism Subcommittee of the Intergovernmental Committee of China and Nigeria, which was held online on January 12, 2022.
The two parties reviewed and discussed the recent achievements between China and Nigeria, as well as the future prospects for cultural and tourism cooperation. They agreed to use the establishment of the subcommittee as an opportunity to further enhance bilateral cultural exchanges and tourism collaboration.
This renewed commitment to collaboration is anticipated to bring significant benefits to both nations, fostering economic growth, cultural exchange, and creative innovation.
Oluchi Okwuego
