Experts at a high-level workshop in Abuja have urged Nigeria to study and adapt China’s poverty reduction strategies to tackle widespread poverty, unemployment and inequality.
The experts spoke at a workshop organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (DICAN) on “Nigeria’s Poverty Alleviation Efforts: Adopting China Models and Its Relevance in a New Era.”
The Provost of the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria, Prof. Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, said China’s poverty reduction success was driven by sustained economic growth, targeted interventions, infrastructure development and strong accountability.
He said more than 800 million people had been lifted out of poverty in China over four decades, with targeted household profiling, agricultural support, skills training, microcredit, e-commerce and rural infrastructure among the measures deployed.
Ibrahim also cited China’s “10,000 Enterprises Help 10,000 Villages” programme as an example of how government, businesses and communities could work together to create jobs and promote sustainable development.
Representing Ambassador Yu Dunhai, Counselor Sun Xuekun of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy said China eliminated absolute poverty in 2020 after lifting 98.99 million rural residents out of poverty.
He said 832 impoverished counties and 128,000 villages were also removed from the poverty list, attributing the achievement to strong leadership, targeted interventions, infrastructure investment, education, healthcare and social protection.,
Sun said China’s experience was based on people-centred development, long-term planning, locally tailored policies and broad social participation, urging other developing countries to adapt the lessons to their own circumstances.
Media scholar and public affairs analyst, Dr Austin Maho, however, warned Nigeria against copying the Chinese model wholesale.
He said differences in Nigeria’s federal structure, political environment, institutional capacity and socio-economic conditions required careful adaptation.
Maho described Nigeria’s rapid population growth as both a development and national security concern, warning that failure to create opportunities for the growing youth population could deepen unemployment, insecurity and pressure on public services.
He urged the media to go beyond official announcements by tracking the actual impact of development projects, particularly those under China-Africa cooperation initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative and Global Development Initiative.
Maho also advocated development diplomacy desks, stronger data journalism, regular field reporting and poverty-performance indicators to strengthen public accountability.
He said diplomatic correspondents must “evaluate, communicate and contextualise” foreign development models rather than become either promoters or critics of such initiatives.
In his goodwill message, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dunoma Umar Ahmed, represented by the Ministry’s Spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, said China’s experience offered lessons in infrastructure-led growth, targeted poverty reduction, agricultural development, social protection and human capital investment.
He stressed that Nigeria must adapt such lessons to its own realities while upholding transparency, accountability and democratic governance.
Ahmed said the Ministry would continue to promote international cooperation, investment, technology transfer, knowledge exchange and capacity building to support Nigeria’s development objectives.
Earlier, DICAN Chairman, Mr Idehai Frederick, called for stronger Nigeria-China cooperation in poverty reduction, media development and economic advancement.
Frederick urged China to expand media fellowships, exchange programmes and technical journalism training for Nigerian journalists.
He also called for stronger links between Chinese businesses and the Nigerian media to promote corporate social responsibility, bilateral trade and investment opportunities.
He urged Nigeria to maximise China’s zero-tariff policy for African exports by improving local supply chains, product standards and non-oil exports.
The workshop brought together policymakers, diplomats, development experts and media professionals to examine how lessons from China’s development experience could be responsibly adapted to Nigeria’s poverty reduction efforts.