China-Africa Forum for Cooperation (FOCAC) which kick-starts today in Beijing China, will see Presidents and leaders from the African continent and their Chinese counterpart meet and continue their discussions on trade and other economic/security agreements that are aimed at boosting the continent’s development, and President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria is one of those Africa leaders that have arrived Beijing for the FOCAC 7th Summit.
President Muhammadu Buhari who arrived at the Beijing airport in China a few hours ago, will join other leaders of Africa to discuss pressing issues with President Xi Jinping of China at the FOCAC summit.
Being the leader and President of Africa’s largest economy, and an economy where China has huge trade investment going on, President Muhammadu Buhari will on the side discuss a possible bilateral trade agreement with the Chinese government, especially on infrastructural development, and both leaders reviewing and updating themselves and reports on previous agreements.
President Muhammadu Buhari before leaving for China for the FOCAC summit in China, had played host to two world leaders in less than a week, which were the British Prime Minister Theresa May, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The leaders aside discussing challenges facing Nigeria and Africa in terms of development, security and issue of illegal migration were also discussed. They signed trade agreements, as Nigeria keeps attracting the attention of world leaders who are eager to be trade partners with Nigeria.
President Buhari left the country on Friday night with his wife Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, Daughter and some of his cabinet members and others.
FOCAC 2018 is not just to discuss Africa and her development, but more important to Nigeria, is the various rail projects ongoing in Nigeria which are being handled by Chinese engineers and corporations, so the three-day FOCAC summit will avail both President Muhammadu Buhari and Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi the opportunity to continue further discussions on how to connect the various part of the country with rail, which for decades now, has been the common means of transport in developed world.
The first FOCAC summit was in Beijing, China in 2000, and other countries outside of China where it has held are, Kenya in 2003, Egypt in 2009, and South Africa. Nigeria is yet to host, and could probably take the next one, after the 7th summit.