President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe as Director-General and Global Liaison for the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership.
This move follows the president’s visit to China in early September, where Nigeria and China agreed on key areas of cooperation.
This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday, September 29, by Special Adviser to the President on Information on Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Tegbe, a 1988 first-class graduate in civil engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, will report directly to the President.
He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA) and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.
He will immediately submit a strategic action plan to enable Nigeria to benefit from the agreements between the two countries in Beijing.
As the czar of the strategic partnership, he will lead day-to-day operations, engage continuously with the Chinese counterparts, and ensure that all deliverables are met and synchronised with national development goals.
In the strategic plan, he will outline the specific deliverables, timelines, and key performance indicators for each area of cooperation. This will include priority projects, projected investments and expected socioeconomic outcomes.
At the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), President Xi Jinping pledged 360 billion yuan, or about $51 billion, in new financing to African nations in the next three years. He also pledged support for 30 infrastructure projects to boost connectivity across the continent and create one million jobs.