On January 15, Li Zhenyu, President of China National Chemical Engineering International Corporation Ltd., warmly welcomed at CNCEC headquarters Hon. Joseph Tegbe, the Director General of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership and Mr. Sheikh Mohamed Bayorh, President, Alpha Grip Management Company (AGMC) (www.AlphaGroupUAE.com), a subsidiary of Alpha Group UAE along with their respective delegations for the formal partnership signing ceremony for the development, finance and construction of the Ogidigben Gas Revolution Industrial Park (GRIP) Project in Delta State, Nigeria between AGMC and CNCEC. The Director General of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP), Joseph Tegbe who is currently visiting China to bolster the Nigeria – China relations in line with the policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led administration, witnessed the signing ceremony. The two sides engaged in in-depth discussions on further strengthening efficient and pragmatic cooperation, as well as implementation of the next project development steps in ensuring the project’s actualization and completion.

President Li Zhenyu of CNCEC provided a detailed introduction to the development of CNCEC's overseas business and its operations in Nigeria, which recently included the construction of the Dangote Petrochemical Refinery Complex. He emphasized that CNCEC, as a globally competitive contractor in the oil and gas industry engineering services sector, with expertise in R&D, investment, construction, and operations, has always regarded Nigeria as a strategic priority for its overseas expansion. He further expressed CNCEC's commitment to actively implement the consensus reached by the heads of state during the China-Africa Cooperation Forum Summit, to deepen multi-field cooperation, and making greater contributions to Nigeria's economic growth through construction and industrialization. He highlighted CNCEC’s strong desire to develop the $20b Ogidigben Gas Project to completion in partnership with the licensed developer AGMC, FGN of Nigeria, Delta State Government, NNPCL and other stakeholders.

Director General Joseph Tegbe, conveyed the good wishes of Mr. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in regards to the Nigeria-China strategic partnership to deepen the  bilateral ties between the two nations, and emphasized that his visit was to follow up on Mr. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's official visit to China on the 2024 Forum on China- Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). The Director General, NCSP highly recognized CNCEC's technical capabilities in oil and gas, refining, petrochemical complexes, and integrated natural gas utilization. He also praised CNCEC's achievements in Nigeria and their involvement in the Ogidigben Gas Revolution Industrial Park project, which he stated is a national priority project with the full support of the His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He further stated that Nigeria has abundant oil and gas resources and a strong willingness for industrial development. The Nigerian government places great importance on mutually beneficial cooperation with Chinese enterprises. He expressed confidence that CNCEC could fully leverage its professional capabilities and technological advantages to participate in relevant construction projects, jointly promote trade and economic exchanges, and contribute to high-quality economic development.

Mr. Sheikh Mohamed Bayorh, Chairman of Alpha Group UAE/ President of AGMC, thanked the CNEC leadership for its warm reception and formally concluding the partnership agreements for the Ogidigben Gas Revolution Industrial Park project. He further thanked H.E. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his visionary leadership in promoting policies and reforms that has created an enabling environment to attract international investors, which has significantly enhanced investor’s confidence particularly in the Nigerian oil and gas industry and expressed deep gratitude to the Hon. Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon Ekperikpe Ekpo for taking strategic leadership in driving gas infrastructure and industrialisation in the Gas Sector along with the leadership of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) GCEO, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari and the Executive Vice President of Gas, Power, and New Energy Mr. Olalekan Ogunleye for the continued support of the Ogidigben GRIP Project. He further expressed many thanks and appreciation to the Director General, Hon. Joseph Tegbe and his delegation for witnessing the formal signing ceremony between the CNCEC and AGMC on the investment and financing of the Ogidigben Gas Revolution Industrial Park project which underscores the significance of the Nigeria- China strategic bilateral partnership.

The President of AGMC strongly emphasized on CNCEC's technological competence and comprehensive strength in the oil, gas, and chemical industries and that this partnership will undoubtedly fast track the integrated development of the project poised to be Africa's largest Gas City as originally conceptualized by the NNPCL. The $20bn Ogidigben Gas project will host power plants, fertilizer, petrochemical, aluminum smelters, LNG, and methanol plants amongst others, as well as many secondary industries that will generate thousands of employment both during construction activities and operations. The AGMC developer consortium consists of a UAE based capital investment firm and several global players including Power China and now CNCEC, with a total asset value exceeding over $100bn.

This partnership between AGMC and CNCEC will undoubtedly complement each other's strengths by joining forces in making significant contributions to accelerating Nigeria's industrialization progress in the gas sector, with the successful take-off and completion of the Ogidigben GRIP project.