The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, at the weekend, met with the Chinese Governor of Hunan Province, Mao Weiming, in Changsha for high-level discussions aimed at deepening collaboration and establishing a friendship Province-State relationship between Nigeria and Hunan Province at both federal and sub-national levels.

A statement from the ministry said Tuggar conveyed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s deep commitment to agriculture and food security as pillars of Nigeria’s national stability. The discussions identified key areas for cooperation, including seed technology improvement, agricultural processing, and enhanced provision of agricultural machinery.

“Hunan has a profound historical heritage and a vibrant economy. The province is an important strategic region for Nigeria in developing its friendly relationship with China”, Amb Tuggar stated during the meeting. The minister further reiterated Nigeria’s willingness to strengthen communication and cooperation with Hunan in the fields of agriculture, infrastructure construction, culture, and tourism, as well as in the establishment of special economic zones. Tuggar also called for jointly advancing the full implementation of the outcomes achieved at the FOCAC Beijing Summit, so as to boost the everlasting friendship between the two countries.

Governor Mao Weiming stated that although Hunan and Nigeria are thousands of miles apart, both sides share a long history of friendly exchanges. In his words, “Both Nigeria and Hunan Province have a good foundation and broad prospects for cooperation in agriculture, construction machinery, and other sectors”. He noted that from January to April of this year, the import and export volume between Hunan and Nigeria amounted to 220 million USD, of which imports from Nigeria increased by 92% year on year.