Nigeria Travels to China to Advance Steel Development

Top Chinese companies have met with a Nigerian delegation in an attempt to secure critical projects to advance the steel sector.

With Mr. Joseph Tegbe, Director-General of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP), and Prince Shuaibu Audu, Minister for Steel Development, currently on a high-level working visit to the Asian nation to draw in strategic development projects and strengthen industrial cooperation with important Chinese partners, Nigeria has taken the initiative to develop its steel industry in China.

An important industrial asset deemed essential to Nigeria’s manufacturing aspirations and job creation strategy, the Ajaokuta Steel Company, was the subject of a strategic discussion between the delegation and officials of Sino Steel, one of China’s biggest and most powerful steel corporations. The discussions focused on the operational modeling, technical assessments, and funding structures needed to get the facility back to full production.

Earlier, Mr. Tegbe met with the leadership of Jingye Steel, one of China’s leading private steel manufacturers with a global presence, to discuss the possibility of setting up integrated steel mills in Nigeria. This is a crucial step in bolstering local steel production capacity and assisting important industries like construction, automotive manufacturing, and infrastructure, according to a statement released by NCSP on Wednesday.

Nigerian officials were then taken on a site visit to Jingye Steel’s production facilities in China’s Hebei province by the Minister of Steel.

Tegbe had a fruitful discussion in Beijing with SYS Company, a top provider of environmental solutions and water engineering services with a focus on wastewater recycling and renewable energy production. Talks centered on how SYS’s cutting-edge technology might be employed in Nigeria, namely in turning wastewater into power and reusable resources. The project supports energy diversification and Nigeria’s dedication to environmental sustainability and the growth of a circular economy.

The Director-General of NCSP met with CSSC Haishen executives earlier in the visit to further a previous agreement between the Chinese company and CPL Ltd, a well-known manufacturer of pharmaceutical and medical equipment in Nigeria. The meeting’s main goals were to find finance options, improve operational support and knowledge transfer, and secure competitive pricing for medical equipment in order to guarantee the long-term viability of the healthcare modernization project.

According to the statement, these strategic partnerships highlight NCSP’s overarching goal of forming transformative alliances that leverage Nigeria’s development priorities and China’s technological know-how, producing tangible results in the areas of infrastructure, industry, environmental innovation, and health.