By Emmanuel Elebeke

Ahead of his first official visit to Republic of China, the Nigerian minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu , has said that wider cooperation in science and technology will be mutually beneficial for both countries.

The Minister who spoke in Abuja on Wednesday on the planned bilateral talks, said the bilateral ties between the two countries has reached a milestone and needs to be strengthened for greater benefits.

The Minister will be leading senior Nigerian officials to China, where they are expected to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart and the organized private sector.

“As a nation, we believe that there are so many lessons we can learn when we cooperate with a nation like China. My meeting with my counterpart in China will be around strengthening the relationship between our two countries, particularly in the areas of science and technology,” said Onu.

According to him, the visit will also serve as an avenue to woo more Chinese investors to do business in Nigeria as Africa’s largest economy, with tremendous potential to improve lives and the people’s standard of living through the science and technology sector.

“We would like to explore new areas of cooperation that will help nurture better understanding between our two nations. We want to improve the standard of living of our people. We want to be in a position to use science and technology to secure our nation, grow our economy and create jobs,” said the minister.

The Sino-Nigeria cooperation has increased tremendously over the past four and half decades, covering areas that include politics, trade, investment, aid, technology, science, culture, education, health and military.