Nigeria and China sign a Nuclear Power Pact

Nigeria and China will strengthen ties through a new nuclear energy partnership, a government spokesman said on Tuesday.

At the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, both nations signed a comprehensive agreement to enhance cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative, human resource development and nuclear energy. The alliance is expected to support development, stability and security in the West African sub-region.

Nigeria has discussed creating its own nuclear power industry for more than a decade.

China, Nigeria’s largest bilateral creditor, has already invested heavily in the country’s infrastructure, with $5 billion in loans by the end of March 2024. The partnership between the two countries has included critical projects including a deep-sea port and rail lines extended within the program. Belt and Road Initiative as their cooperation intensified in 2018.

President Bola Tinubu, who attended the summit alongside leaders from 50 African nations, highlighted the potential of this strategic partnership to boost growth not only in Nigeria but across Africa, stressing the importance of stability and security.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said the enhanced strategic coordination between China and Nigeria will inject new impetus into China-Africa relations and promote collective progress among countries in the Global South.

During his visit, President Tinubu toured Huawei’s research lab, securing the tech giant’s commitment to set up a joint solar PV testing lab in Nigeria. Another Chinese company has committed to building an assembly plant for electric tricycles and training Nigerians in renewable energy and technology development.

The deal comes as China is poised to embark on a record nuclear expansion that will see it build more nuclear power plants than any other country in the world, making it the world’s largest nuclear generator by 2030. For Nigeria, the partnership offers a promising avenue for advancing its own energy infrastructure and sustainable development goals.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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