President Bola Tinubu who is currently in Beijing has seized the opportunity to visit the China Railway Construction Corporation, CRCC, where he acknowledged the company’s role as a reliable partner in Nigeria’s infrastructure development programme, commending its ongoing railway projects in the country.
The President noted, ”It is equally very important that we give assurances to the Nigerian people across our local communities that the Ibadan-Abuja-Kaduna-Kano railway segments will be completed and done to the satisfaction of Nigeria and West Africa at large.
”We will support your investment in solid minerals and other ventures in Nigeria. I am here to assure you that Nigeria is ready to do business with you,” the President said during a meeting with the Chairman of CRCC, Mr. Dai Hegen, following a tour of the CRCC and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) office in Beijing.
Mr. Hegen informed the President that CRCC has been involved in Nigeria for 43 years, implementing over 300 projects and training over 100,000 local workers.
”The Abuja-Kaduna Railway and Lagos-Ibadan Railway have transported approximately 9 million passengers and 180 tonnes of cargo. The Lagos blue line has transported over 1.6 million passengers,” he said.
In a separate engagement, President Tinubu visited Huawei Technologies’ Beijing Research Centre, where the company announced the launch of DigiTruck, a mobile ICT classroom aimed at enhancing digital literacy in underserved Nigerian communities.
During a meeting with Huawei’s leadership, including Chairman Mr. Liang Hua, the company announced that its DigiTruck initiative will operate in 10 states annually, training at least 3,000 students each year. This initiative aims to complement Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy’s goal of training 3 million technical talents (3MTT) and equipping the youth with essential skills. Mr. Hua praised Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda for recognizing digital technology as a crucial driver of economic growth and expressed Huawei’s readiness to support the country’s digital and low-carbon development. Additionally, Mr. Chris Lu, CEO of Huawei Nigeria, voiced support for Nigeria’s National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), aiming to enhance Nigeria’s role as a talent hub for Africa.
During the tour of the Huawei Research Centre’s exhibition hall, President Tinubu and his delegation were introduced to Huawei’s latest innovations in e-government, smart education, smart grid, and solar power, demonstrating their potential to enhance public services, digital governance, and Nigeria’s inclusive development agenda.
As part of the efforts to achieve the aforementioned goals, Huawei also plans to establish a joint PV test lab with Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
