One way Nigeria can get out of the present economic recession is to build the trade expertise of Nigerians at the local level, some Chinese investors have suggested.
The Chinese investors are of the opinion that when this is done, jobs will be created and poverty reduced.
This suggestion was made at the Nigeria-China Business Council meeting in Abuja on Saturday
The impact of the economic recession on Nigerians has left many seeking ways on mitigating its effect.
While some have asked the government to come up with concrete solutions to get out of the recession, many are of the opinion that members of the private sector also have a role to play.
At the meeting organised by the Nigeria-China Business Council, investors emphasised the need to promote trade at the grass-root level.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Vice President of the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Lin Yi, stressed that even though there was a great relationship and a good cooperation between the governments of both countries, more work was needed at the local government level.
“We believe that the local government is closer to people. They know the real demand of our people.
“If we can link the local governments together we can do more to give the benefit to the local people of our two countries,” she said.
On his part, the Vice Governor of Jiangxi Province, Lin Chang Lin, who spoke in Mandarin language, said that his province would be looking to collaborate with Nigeria in areas of equipment, infrastructure and agriculture.
A government official and the Commissioner for Commerce, Katsina State, Abubakar Yakubu, agreed with this position and promise to look into boosting economic activities.
While achieving this lofty dream of getting a large number of Nigerians out of recession through trade is said to be commendable, experts believe that agreements reached at the meeting must be matched with action.