President Bola Tinubu has appointed Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe as the Director-General and Global Liaison for the China-Nigeria strategic partnership. This appointment follows a commitment by the two nations to foster hospital alliances and collaborate on medical research.
The announcement was made on Sunday in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy. According to the release, Tegbe, a 1988 first-class graduate of civil engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, will report directly to the President. Tegbe 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 noted that Tegbe will immediately submit a strategic action plan to help Nigeria fully benefit from the agreements established during meetings 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,” the statement read.
The strategic plan will include specific deliverables, timelines, and key performance indicators for each area of cooperation, covering priority projects, projected investments, and expected socioeconomic outcomes.
This appointment comes on the heels of the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), where Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged 360 billion yuan (about $51 billion) in new financing for African countries over the next three years. During his official visit before FOCAC, President Tinubu also secured commitments from President Xi to support Nigeria’s economic diversification, infrastructure development, technology transfer, and job creation initiatives.
