ABUJA, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday signed a 30-million-U.S. dollar grant agreement with Nigeria to support small-scale development projects across the country.
Speaking at the signing ceremony at the Nigerian Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in Abuja, Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Yu Dunhai said China had recently granted 200 million yuan (about 29.79 million U.S. dollars) to support Nigeria's economic and social development, particularly through mutually agreed projects designed to directly benefit Nigerians.
Yu said the grant would support "small but beautiful" projects requiring limited investment, delivering quick results and improving people's livelihoods.
He expressed confidence that the Nigerian government would make effective use of the funds to achieve the intended development outcomes.
Abubakar Bagudu, Nigeria's minister of budget and economic planning, expressed deep appreciation for China's continued support, describing the newly signed agreement as "evidence of strong bilateral relations and shared development objectives" between the two countries.
Bagudu highlighted the Nigerian government's efforts to tackle poverty at the grassroots, saying more than 8,809 interventions had been recorded at the lowest level of the economic support program.
Bagudu said Nigeria could learn from China's poverty alleviation strategy to accelerate its national development. ■
