Nigeria and China have signed a $30 million grant agreement to support community-focused development projects across the country.
The agreement, signed in Abuja, is expected to fund targeted initiatives under China’s Small but Beautiful development initiative.
Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, says the partnership should translate bilateral commitments into measurable benefits for Nigerians.
He says the ministry, working with the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership Office, is developing projects proposed by states to address specific grassroots needs.
Bagudu also highlighted the Renewed Hope Ward Development Plan, which seeks to identify economic opportunities and map economically active people across Nigeria’s 8,809 wards.
He says Nigeria is interested in drawing from China’s experience in poverty reduction, while expanding capacity-building and knowledge exchange between both countries.
Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, says the grant demonstrates China’s commitment to Nigeria’s development priorities and builds on agreements reached by Presidents Bola Tinubu and Xi Jinping.
Dunhai says bilateral trade reached $18 billion in the first half of 2026, while Nigerian exports to China increased by 80%.
He says China’s zero-tariff policy on Nigerian exports, which took effect in May 2026, could expand market access and support investment and industrial development.
The Ambassador, however, notes that the zero-tariff arrangement expires in May 2028, urging both countries to use the remaining period to develop a more sustainable framework for trade and economic cooperation.
The Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning says the grant-funded projects will be implemented transparently and efficiently, with emphasis on tangible benefits for communities.
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(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
