Tinubu invites China to partner Nigeria on marine economy development

President Bola Tinubu has invited the People’s Republic of China to partner with Nigeria through the sharing of geophysical data and technical cooperation, rather than aid, to unlock the country’s vast marine resources and promote  economic prosperity.

The invitation was conveyed by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, during a keynote address at the United Nations Sustainable Development Workshop on High-quality Development of the Marine Economy in Beijing.

Ibrahim delivered the address at the invitation of China’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

Speaking on behalf of President Tinubu, the ambassador commended China for its leadership in developing the marine and blue economy and reaffirmed Nigeria’s ambition to become one of the world’s leading marine economies.

He said the Tinubu administration had demonstrated its commitment to the sector through the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, describing the ocean as the world’s next frontier for wealth creation and sustainable development.

According to Ibrahim, the future of global prosperity lies beneath the oceans, stressing the need for countries to move beyond traditional economic indicators and harness the enormous opportunities offered by the blue economy.

He said Nigeria was seeking strategic partnerships that would provide access to expertise, technology and geophysical data needed to better understand and develop its marine resources.

The Nigerian envoy also called for stronger multilateral collaboration to address challenges such as climate change, weak cross-border governance and unsustainable exploitation of marine resources, while insisting that these obstacles should not prevent countries from benefiting from the “ocean of prosperity.”

Ibrahim urged the international community to shift from policy discussions to concrete action by embracing innovation, artificial intelligence, circular economic solutions and data-driven approaches to develop the blue economy sustainably.

He further proposed that the International Monetary Fund provide zero-interest financing to support member states in developing their blue economy sectors.

Reaffirming Nigeria’s readiness for deeper engagement, Ibrahim said President Tinubu is offering China an open partnership in the blue economy for the benefit of Nigeria, Africa and the global community, declaring that  the future is here , doing nothing is not an option.

Source: The Nation