Nigeria and China have reaffirmed their commitment to collaborate on cultural exchange programs and infrastructure development, with a particular focus on the ambitious Abuja Creative City project.
This was disclosed during a courtesy visit by Mr. Zhang Yi, Charge D’affaires of the Chinese Embassy, to Nigeria’s Honorable Minister of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, in Abuja over the weekend.
Mr. Yi spoke on the strategic importance of the partnership between the two countries, assuring China’s support for Nigeria’s sovereignty and the encouragement of Chinese investments in Nigeria. He highlighted the foundational role of cultural and people-to-people exchanges in strengthening bilateral relations.
“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,” Mr. Yi stated. He also announced plans to host Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in China in September, expressing hopes that Minister Musawa would join the delegation to experience Chinese culture firsthand.
Minister Musawa responded by emphasizing the need for cultural alignment between Nigeria and China to showcase their unique attributes to the global community. She expressed enthusiasm for exploring joint initiatives at international platforms such as Davos, the United Nations General Assembly, and the Olympics.
“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,” Minister Musawa explained. She outlined plans for the Creative City, which will include film studios, arenas, museums, and galleries, with aspirations to create a landmark akin to the Louvre in Abuja.
Musawa further mentioned plans to collaborate with the Federal Capital Territory ministry to identify potential locations for the project. The vision includes establishing culturally themed areas such as China Town, Korea Town, India Town, and Brazil Town within the Creative City.
The visit also reviewed progress made since the first meeting of the Culture and Tourism Subcommittee of the Intergovernmental Committee of China and Nigeria, held online on January 12, 2022.
