Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has sought partnership with the Peoples Republic of China in infrastructure, agricultural, technical and educational development of the state.
Diri, who made the request over the weekend during a visit to the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, in Abuja, said China had recorded robust successes in its economy, partnerships, innovation and poverty eradication.
He maintained that even with a large population, the country had witnessed rapid growth in the last two decades, surpassing the World Bank as the world’s largest lender of development finance.
Diri said the success was primarily through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global infrastructure plan conceived in China in 2013 and implemented in over 70 countries with the goal of partnering in the design and implementation of large infrastructure projects.
The governor recalled the statement made by China’s President, over his government’s willingness to partner with Nigeria to reduce poverty.
He noted that Bayelsa State would be the right destination for such intervention, as he highlighted the state’s expansive coastline, which he said is ideal for fishing, tourism and wind energy.
“We believe Bayelsa offers a considerable window to the world and will be a spectacular platform to showcase the BRI in the building of roads that traverse several water bodies, as well as providing access to a reservoir of resources in the coasts of Bayelsa.
“Our state’s expansive coastline is ideal for fishing, tourism and wind energy. Our government has identified agriculture as the main sector within which it will achieve sustainable development and growth. We have already identified four areas to substantially invest in, which are fishing, farming, rice, cassava and plantain cultivation,” he stated.
Speaking further, Diri affirmed the state’s readiness to welcome investors and industry experts for the collaborative development of a centre for machine learning and artificial intelligence, which he said would run with the requisite legal framework and available human resources already in place.
He said the state seeks partners to develop a transhipment port to service the Gulf of Guinea and the Nigerian hinterland, in relation to the deep seaport project at Agge in Ekeremor Council.
On his part, Jianchun explained that China and Nigeria had a lot in common, as he noted China’s population 12 years ago, which he said was over 87 million people were living below the poverty line but had all crossed above the line as of February 2021.
The envoy, who presented an economic strategy document to Diri, said if China, with its large population, could overcome poverty, Nigeria could also do the same if it adopted the right policies.
According to him, “I believe that we have to work together to grow. If we have to achieve our country’s national interest, we have to do something significant in our host country.
“I, therefore, thank you for your expression of confidence in China and Chinese companies. You have made the right choice.
“We can look at the possibility of Chinese investors and companies partnering with Bayelsa to develop your gas resources as well as infrastructure. Bayelsa is an important state to Nigeria because of its natural resource endowments and its people. There are several areas of partnership we can explore.”
