President Bola Tinubu has appointed Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe as Director-General and Global Liaison for the Nigeria-China strategic partnership.
The development followed a commitment by the two countries to establish hospital alliances and collaborate on medical research.
This was announced in a release by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President
(.Information and Strategy), on Sunday.
According to the statement, Tegbe, a 1988 first-class graduate in civil engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, will report directly to the President.
He is also a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA) and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.
Onanuga said Tegbe 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,” part of the statement read.
Recall that 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.
During his official visit before the FOCAC, President Tinubu also obtained a commitment from President Xi to support Nigeria’s economic diversification plans, infrastructure development, technology transfer, and job creation.
