The Federal Government has called for the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) between Nigeria and China in a bid to boost tourism between both countries.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the call in Abuja when he received in audience, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun.
The two MoU, according to Mohammed, were on the Facilitation of Group Travels by Chinese Tourists to Nigeria and Travel Facilitation through the Approved Destination Status (ADS).
Mohammed stated that like China, Nigeria has huge tourism attractions to give effect to the MoU, while also saying that if just one per cent of the 130 million Chinese tourists who travel annually come to Nigeria, it will amount to 1.3 million tourists, which will be a big boost to tourism in Nigeria.
‘There are two MoU between Nigeria and China on the Facilitation of Group Travels by Chinese Tourists to Nigeria and Travel Facilitation through the Approved Destination Status (ADS). Though the two MoU date back to 2019, they have not been signed. It is important that our two countries work together to negotiate and sign these MoU to promote tourism between them,’ Mohammed said.
Speaking further, Mohammed said in 2002 Nigeria and China signed a bilateral agreement to encourage cooperation in the field of tourism between both countries.
He disclosed that the agreement focused mainly on exchange programmes, human capacity building, joint marketing and investment.
The minister said though some Nigerian officials received short training on tourism in China and online, the dearth of skilled manpower in the tourism sector in Nigeria has made it imperative to seek more advanced capacity building and scholarship programmes in Tourism Statistics and Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), tourism development, product development among others from the Chinese government.
Mohammed emphasised the need to encourage exchanges between the two countries in the area of film production, which will avail Nigerian filmmakers the opportunity to improve their technical competence in filmmaking.
While hailing China for extending its cooperation with Nigeria beyond culture and tourism to infrastructure development in the country, Mohammed noted the Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge rail lines as part of Chinese intervention in the infrastructural development of the country.
Others listed by Mohammed were the ongoing work on the Kaduna-Kano railway, Abuja Light Rail, the upgrade of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri narrow gauge, Abuja-Keffi-Makurdi road and the building of new airport terminals in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano, among others, as the ‘visible monuments that testify to the warm relations and great cooperation between the two countries.’
Mohammed also commended the cooperation between the StarTimes of China and the Nigerian Television Authority, which culminated in the birth of the Integrated Television Services (ITS), which is the Federal Government-owned signal distributor that is playing a major role in the Digital Switch Over in Nigeria.
He appealed to the Chinese envoy to facilitate the granting of the 500-million-dollar loan to Nigeria by the China Export-Import Bank for the execution of three major projects in the public broadcast sector.
‘Also worthy of mention, Your Excellency, is the 500-million-dollar loan which we are seeking from the China Export-Import Bank for three major projects – the digitization of the NTA, the construction of a headquarters complex and transmission network for Integrated Television Services (ITS), a Federal Government-owned signal distributor that is a major component of the country’s Digital Switch Over (DSO), and the construction of an ultra-modern Media City Ikorodu.
‘I want to use this opportunity to appeal to Your Excellency to continue to use your good offices to fast track the evaluation and approval process of the loan by the China Export-Import Bank, and to thank you for your efforts so far in this regard,’ Mohammed also said.
On his part, Cui said China is re-strategizing its bilateral relations with Nigeria to focus on Growth, Development and Progress.
Cui also said the new strategy, tagged ‘5 GIST’ will be a holistic, complete and sustained approach to focus on political support, economic cooperation, security and military collaboration, international affairs coordination, infrastructure, ICT, industry, investment, import and export, among others.
The Chinese envoy further said the new focus will be anchored on people-to-people communication and relationship, as well as cultural exchanges.