President Muhammadu Buhari and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, are set to sign an agreement on the National Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure Backbone Phase II (NICTIB II). Buhari’s media aide Garba Shehu made this known in a statement on Saturday.

Shehu issued the statement shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari arrived in Beijing to attend a Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

It was learned from Shehu’s statement that during the six-day official visit, Buhari will join Jinping to witness the signing of the agreement between Galaxy Backbone Limited and Huawei Technologies Limited (HUAWEI) .

The facilities, provided by the Chinese EXIM Bank, costs $328m.

“The bank facility is for the development of NICTIB 11 project which is consistent with the current administration’s commitment to incorporating the development of ICT into national strategic planning under the National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP),” he said in the statement.

“President Buhari and his Chinese host will also witness the signing of the MOU on One Belt One Road Initiative (OBOR). It may be recalled that in 2013, the Chinese leader proposed the initiative of building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, with a view to integrating the development strategies of partnering countries.

“During the High-Level Dialogue between Chinese and African Leaders and Business representatives on the margins of FOCAC, the Nigerian delegation is also expected to sign no fewer than 25 MOUs, including those proposed by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA),” he added.

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