Seminar on the Management and Utilization of International Development Aid for Nigerian Officials Closed in Beijing

7 December, 2011---The Seminar on the management and utilization of International Development Aid for Nigerian Officials, hosted by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and organized by IPRCC, was closed at Beijing Fraternal Cooperation Hotel on December 7. 30 middle and high ranking officials from the Nigerian government bodies attended the seminar. Mr. Ikechukwu Ignatius Eze, Deputy Director of Nigeria’s National Planning Commission, Mr. Nicholas Ella, Minister Counselor of the Nigerian Embassy in China, and Mr. Wei Chongjin, Deputy Director General of IPRCC addressed the closing ceremony.

Themed “The Management of Development Aid”, the seminar aimed to introduce the modes, strategies and policies with regard to how China utilizes international development aid. In addition, it set to understand the approaches of exchange and cooperation between China and Nigeria on the management of development aid, sum up the experience of the developing countries in transforming the approaches of delivering aid, and discuss how the developing world can change its position certified as the “recipient country” by international development agencies to the role of “cooperation partner”. During the seminar, the participants went on a field trip to Guilin city of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to learn about local approaches of utilizing international development aid. They also visited a number of international cooperation projects, including those for the construction of rural infrastructure, health development, rural education development and rural eco-conservation.

On the closing ceremony, the participants spoke positively of the seminar. They said that China has obtained invaluable experience in effectively utilizing and managing international development aid for promoting its national economic and social development, which also has implications on the development and poverty reduction undertaking of Nigeria. The participants expressed that they will apply such experience to their own country, and hope to further exchange and cooperate with China on a wider range of issues to advance the development of bilateral cooperation.