Sept. 3, 2024

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday gave assurances that the Ibadan-Abuja-Kaduna-Kano railway project would be completed to the satisfaction of Nigeria and West Africa at large.

Tinubu said this during a visit to the headquarters of China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) in Beijing, his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, said in a statement.

The President acknowledged the role of the company as a reliable partner in Nigeria’s infrastructure development programme, and commended its ongoing railway projects in Nigeria.

“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 assured Mr Dai Hegen, the Chairman of CRCC.

Hegen informed the President that CRCC had 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,” Hegen said.

Similarly, 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 the President’s meeting with Huawei’s leadership, led by Mr Liang Hua, Chairman of the Board of Directors, the company said the initiative would operate in 10 states annually, training at least 3,000 students each year.

His acknowledged the ongoing efforts by Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy to train 3 million technical talents (3MTT).

Hua said the 3MTT programme was targeted at equipping the country’s young population with the skills necessary for present and future economic opportunities.

Hua lauded President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for identifying digital technology as a critical driver of economic growth.

He said Huawei was prepared to offer its ICT expertise and partner the Nigerian government to support the country in achieving its policy objectives and further its digital, intelligent, and low-carbon development.

Mr Chris Lu, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Nigeria, expressed support for Nigeria’s National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), an initiative that sorts to position Nigeria as a hub for talent outsourcing in Africa.

“We hope to continuously develop the NOC and expand its capacity so that it can meet the requirements of more African markets, thus facilitating more Nigerian technology talents in serving more overseas’ markets and helping to achieve the goal of NATEP,” Lu said.

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.

The company also plans to establish a joint PV test lab with Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency (REA).