The Chinese Government has assured Nigeria of plans to produce Chinese COVID-19 vaccines in the country.
The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, made this known in Abuja, during a roundtable meeting organized by the Center for China Studie, CCS, themed: ‘Building An Africa-China Community with a Shared Future.
Cui said the development of vaccine production, is in line with China’s commitments, of leading Nigeria and the other African countries to self-reliance, and close the immunization gap.
He added that the move is in line with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent remarks, during the 8th Ministerial Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, FOCAC.
Cui said, President Xi Jinping has encouraged Chinese companies, to collaborate with Africans, to produce 400 million vaccines in Nigeria.
Cui also noted that the idea of producing the COVID-19 vaccines in Nigeria is possible, and feasible, saying that there is the need to build trust between the two governments.
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The Director for the China Study Centre, Charles Onunaiju, said FOCAC is not just an international forum, but a platform mooted in the interest of Africa, that has been fledgling in the past 21 years.
Onunaiju urged Nigerian leaders to key into the many opportunities that China has provided for Nigeria, to lift its citizens out of poverty.
The Abuja Forum is aimed at reflecting on the opportunities of the recent outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which was held in Dakar, Senegal.
(Editor: Ifeanyi Mark)
