NIPSS, China Academy sign MoU on exchange program, capacity building

The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) and the China National Academy of Governance have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Exchange programme and capacity building. Addressing journalists shortly after the signing ceremony in Abuja on Friday, the Director General /Chief Executive of NIPSS, Professor Ayo Omotayo said NIPSS has been seeking […]

The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) and the China National Academy of Governance have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Exchange programme and capacity building.

Addressing journalists shortly after the signing ceremony in Abuja on Friday, the Director General /Chief Executive of NIPSS, Professor Ayo Omotayo said NIPSS has been seeking ways to not only ensure the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda, but also contribute their quota towards making Nigeria a better place.

He said the institute is collaborating with China to understand why China has been able to make so much progress in the last fifty years, adding that any Country that ignores China, does so at its own peril.

He said, “At the National Institute, we don’t just sign MOUs for the sake of signing. Our motto is to keep looking for a better Nigerian society. Based on the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we have a mandate to look for ways and means of ensuring that we keep the promise of what Nigeria is for.”

Speaking on the MoU, Professor Omotayo explained that, “we have been working for some time with the embassy. We have had a relationship with China National Academy of Governance, CNAG. We’ve been trying to get them to work with us in terms of building capacity for our own staff, and also for other bureaus in Nigeria. We have spoken to them on exchanging knowledge, and we have also looked at carrying out joint researches.

“China, has made tremendous progress in the last 50 years.

“Any country that just ignores China may be doing that at its own peril. For us as Nigeria, we want to know what things China have been able to do that have brought this kind of progress. We want to learn from them.We want to share our knowledge with them. They have much respect for us, just as we try to learn from them.”

He said the MoU is all about intellectual engagement, “We are going to carry out joint researches.

“We are going to have exchanges in terms of capacity building. We send our scholars to China. We’ve been doing that for some time now. They also send their scholars to Nigeria so that we can work on areas of mutual interest.”

Speaking earlier before the signing of the MoU, Professor Gong Weibin, the Vice President of CNAG who spoke through an interpreter, explained that Nigeria is a major partner of China, and President Bola Tinubu’s last visit to China has raised the relationship between the two countries to strategic partnership.

He said since CNAG was established years ago, it has played “a vital role in training civil servants in advancing the ideals of the communist party and responsible for training policy researchers and high level government officials.

“In March, 2018 the school carried out a research to deepen the reforms of the communist party, at present it performs the functions of training civil servants, training government, senior and middle level civil servants, it also undertakes idealogical research for the communist party of China.”

He said, “We are into think thank development. We have been able to provide policy advise to the central government. We share similar responsibility on training. Our school play a role in exchange program. Our school is ready to collaborate with NIPSS and work towards training of high level government officials from Nigeria.”

On his part, HE Zhang Yi, the Ministerial Counselor and Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China, Abuja pointed out that Nigeria is considered a strategic partner in Africa. “Since the establishment of our ties, China and Nigeria has been supporting each other in terms of policy, culture and economy.

“Our relationship entered the next level after the visit of President Tinubu to China, the two presidents said the the relationship has entered a strategic level, that is why there is corporation between the Think – Thanks.

“NIPSS and CNAG have shown good examples about how the two nations Think – Thanks can work together to exchange knowledge in policy making and about governance because both China and Nigeria are fast developing countries of the world. So it is important for the two countries to sit together and enhance the development of Nigeria and China.”