The chairman of the Chinese firm, Longrich industries, Xu Zhiwei said his firm has signed a contract with Nigeria’s Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos State for the construction of a 40,000-square-meter production line.
With the construction, Longrich industries will become the first Artificial Intelligence factory in line with the “Belt and Road”, in Nigeria.
Xu made the disclosure when the consul general of the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Shanghai, China, Chimezie Okeoma Ogu paid him a visit at the company’s headquarters located at the outskirt of Shanghai province of the People Republic of China on Wednesday 23, June 2021.
A statement released on Thursday by the Nigerian Mission in Shanghai said the Consul General was warmly received on arrival by Longrich’s chief operating officer and special assistant to the chairman, Anshen Ma.
In his welcome remarks, Xi stated that Longrich Industries established its presence in the Nigerian Market in 2012 and has made a giant stride in the Nigerian economy.
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“Xu informed the Nigerian envoy that as part of the company internationalization strategy, the management has signed a contract with Nigeria’s Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos state through the construction of 40,000-square-meter production line, to become the first artificial intelligence factory along the “Belt and Road” in Nigeria,” the statement read.
According to him, this is an important step for the realization of the national “Belt and Road” initiative by Chinese enterprises.
“This project will not only provide the Longrich overseas branch with a comprehensive large supply chain, product guarantee, import and export, customs clearance and other overall services but will also provide all-important local brands in Nigeria, as well as the entire African market. Furthermore, the chairman stated that Longrich Nigeria is a window to open up the African market to introduce the “Chinese myth” in the African continent and the world,” the chairman said.
In his response, the consul general commended the good work of the company by providing health and cosmetics needs of the household through the production of tested global brands of various products. He affirmed Longrich’s advanced intelligent production level and the world’s leading research and development capacities of the company’s brands.
Ogu further stated that “Longrich products are very popular in Nigeria. Every Nigerian family has Longrich products, and the country serves as the biggest market for the company in Africa and next to China in the world. He stated that the presence of the company in Nigeria has offered job and business opportunities to young men and women, who before now, were jobless opportunities to young men and women, who before now, were jobless.
“The introduction of the company’s novel network of marketing strategy has made many Nigerians financially stable and millionaires, he said, canvassing that Longrich can develop more excellent products to meet the needs of the Nigerian market.”
The consul general noted that the establishment and construction of the Longrich industry in Lagos, has given the opportunity to the transfer of technology and skill. According to him, this is the new focus of the present administration in its drive for Foreign Direct Investment with its international partners.
He canvassed for the training and retraining of Nigerians working with the company, saying this would assist the Federal government’s efforts to address the unemployment problem in the country.
Ogu also urged the management to consider recruiting young Nigerians living in China to participate in the internship programme of the company at its company’s headquarters in Shanghai for better mutual cooperation, as well as offering job placements and opportunities to qualified young Nigerian graduates that studied in the host country to continue to promote and boost the bilateral cooperation between both sides.
The chairman of Longrich who responded to the consul general assured that his request would be given consideration in recognition of the cordial bilateral relation existing between the government of the People’s Republic of China and the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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