The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, has said that Nigeria is seeking more collaboration with the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim) to increase two way trade between the two countries.

She said this in Abuja on Monday while receiving China’s Vice Minister of Commerce, Mr Qian Keming.

She thanked the minister for the support the Bank and other partners from the country had rendered Nigeria, adding that they had financed some very important projects for Nigeria.

“We are grateful for the speed with which you treat our applications and the seriousness with which you take Nigeria and we look forward to doing so much with you in this new phase of our development.”

Adeosun said that Nigeria was experiencing a very interesting time in its economic history and that it was coming out of one of the most challenging periods it had seen recently.

She, however, said that there were opportunities in agriculture, industrialisation, health, manufacturing and education and in the general provision of infrastructure that could still be tapped.

“This administration is focusing on building the economy with a particular focus on infrastructure which is the model of the Chinese and it has been very successful.

“You are now one of the biggest economies in the world and you know that Nigeria is following the same pattern and we will suddenly be on the pathway to growth.”

Keming said that the objective of the visit was to co-host with Nigeria the 6th session of the Trade and Economic Technical Commission.

“The theme of this session is to implement the consensus reached by the two leaders during their three meetings in the last one year, especially those consensus reached during the state visit by President Muhammadu Buhari in April.”

The Chinese minister said that he had carried out very comprehensive discussions with ministers and other delegates from Nigeria and that they had tried to figure out how the two countries could cooperate with each other to move forward.

“Before we came here we paid a visit to the Vice President, he suggested that both sides could strengthen our cooperation in agriculture, infrastructure reconstruction and industrialisation.”

He, however, said that discussions with the finance minister would focus on cooperating with each other in finding financing solutions. (NAN)

•Photo shows Kemi Adeosun.

Update news