Abuja—Bayelsa Governor, Douye Diri, has sought partnership with the People’s Republic of China in the area of infrastructure, agricultural, technical and educational development in the state.
Governor Diri, according to his chief press secretary, Daniel Alabrah, made the request at the weekend when he paid a courtesy visit to the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Cui Jianchun, at the country’s embassy in Abuja.
Diri commended China’s rapid economic growth in the last two decades, adding that the Asian powerhouse has become the world’s leading lender of development funds surpassing the world bank.
The governor while noting that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Plan which was conceptualized in China and implemented in over 70 countries, was instrumental to China’s development, wooed the Chinese government to partner with the State particularly in the area of infrastructure.
In his words: “We believe Bayelsa offers a considerable window to the world and will be a spectacular platform to showcase the BRI in the building of roads that traverse several water bodies as well as providing access to an inexhaustible reserve of resources in the coasts of Bayelsa.
“Our state’s expansive coastline is ideal for fishing, tourism and wind energy. Our government has identified agriculture as the main sector within which it will achieve sustainable development and growth.
“We have already identified four areas to substantially invest in, which are fishing farming, rice, cassava and plantain cultivation.”
Diri made the point that Bayelsa is a suitable location for interested investors to establish a cluster of tech hubs and captive power generation plants, given the state’s natural features and gas resources.
“The technological revolution that this would engender would be a force to improve and empower thousands of people across Nigeria and Africa in general.
“There are opportunities to establish new tech hubs across all the eight local government headquarters in the state.”
“Our coastline is the longest in Nigeria of about 180km and has the widest access to the Atlantic Ocean, creating the potential for wind energy.” He Said.
He also disclosed that the state is seeking partners to develop the deep seaport project at Ekeremor into a trans-shipment port, servicing the entire Gulf of Guinea and the hinterland of Nigeria.
Governor Diri equally commended the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), saying he and the state were impressed with the company’s work on the Yenagoa-Oporoma and Gloryland Drive road projects it was constructing in the state.
Ambassador Cui Jianchun in his response, said China and Nigeria had a lot in common, saying that, if China with its large population could overcome poverty, Nigeria can also do same if the country adopts the right policies.
“We can look at the possibility of Chinese investors and companies partnering with Bayelsa to develop your gas resources as well as infrastructure.
“Bayelsa is an important state to Nigeria because of its natural resource endowments and its people. There are several areas of partnership we can explore,” he said.
