Nigerian President Bola Tinubu (center), accompanied by Nigerian ministers and officials, visits an exhibition hall on smart technologies at Chinese tech giant Huawei's headquarters in Beijing on September 2, 2024. Tinubu is in Beijing for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and a state visit. Photo: X account of Uba Sani, governor of Nigeria's Kaduna State

After China and Nigeria elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, Uba Sani, the governor of Nigeria's Kaduna State, said he is thrilled to see his state partner with China in a "smart city" project, which aligns with the country's industrialization.

Kaduna State lies at the southern end of Nigeria's northern plateau, and 80 percent of its 5 million population work in agriculture, according to media reports. 

The smart city project will be built under cooperation with Chinese tech giant Huawei - "a very reliable partner," Sani told the Global Times. 

The project will enhance public security, efficiency and transparency in public service, and help his state to establish an e-government, make education, healthcare and talent cultivation "smart," and boost the use of renewable energy, the governor said. 

Sani hopes to form a joint committee between Kaduna government and Huawei "in one or two weeks." 

The smart city project is one of several broader deals between China and Nigeria that have been inked during the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu held talks on Tuesday and announced the elevation of China-Nigeria ties. They also witnessed the signing of cooperation documents including the application of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, peanut exports to China and news media cooperation.

Sani said that China plays a significant role in Nigeria's industrialization, and he is "more hopeful and confident that [after] this time [at the FOCAC], we will see more fruits."

Kaduna State has Nigeria's first modernized railroad, the Abuja-Kaduna Railway. It is the first railway in Africa built based on Chinese technical standards. 

Sani revealed that two months ago his state partnered with North China's Hebei Province to construct an industrial park. Hopefully, more investors from China will be attracted to Nigeria, he said.