The Federal Government has identified culture and tourism as new frontiers for deepening Nigeria-China relations, with emphasis on cultural diplomacy, creative industries, tourism development and people-to-people exchanges.
The government made its position known at the ‘Shared Moon, Shared Moment, Meet in Africa – Hunan Culture and Tourism in Nigeria’ event in Abuja, where a delegation from China’s Hunan Province showcased its cultural heritage through music, dance, acrobatics and other traditional art forms.
Representing the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Abdulkarim Ozi Ibrahim, Musa Alhamdu said cultural exchange could strengthen bilateral relations while creating opportunities for tourism, skills development and the creative economy.
He described the event as more than a cultural performance, saying it was a celebration of Nigeria-China friendship, cultural diversity, mutual respect and people-to-people exchange.
‘Culture has a unique ability to bring people together. It translates language, geography and differences, allowing us to discover what we share as human beings,’ Alhamdu said.
He said Nigeria’s cultural diversity, reflected in its music, dance, theatre, visual arts, festivals, crafts, fashion, film, literature and contemporary creative industries, provided a strong foundation for sustained cooperation with China.
According to him, cultural diplomacy is an important instrument for strengthening international relations, promoting tourism and creating opportunities for creative practitioners.
He said Nigeria’s engagement with China in the cultural sector should extend beyond artistic exchanges to include creative collaboration, tourism opportunities, skills development and greater participation of young Nigerians in the global creative economy.
‘For us at the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, cultural diplomacy is an important instrument for strengthening international relations, promoting tourism and creating opportunities for our creative practitioners,’ he said.
Alhamdu urged both countries to expand exchanges among artists, cultural institutions, museums, theatres, creative entrepreneurs, young people and tourism stakeholders.
He said such partnerships would help transform cultural exchanges into enduring relationships capable of contributing to economic and social development.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Social Development Secretariat of the FCT Administration, Olubunmi Olowokere, said Abuja offered significant opportunities for collaboration with Hunan in cultural exchange, creative industries, heritage promotion, tourism development, skills development and preservation of traditional arts.
Olowokere said culture often provided the first avenue through which people from different countries encountered and understood one another.
‘So when a Nigerian watches a Chinese cultural performance, or when a visitor from China experiences Nigerian music and traditional arts, something important happens. We move from simply knowing each other to experiencing each other. And that experience creates understanding,’ she said.
She called for the establishment of long-term institutional partnerships rather than limiting cultural cooperation to one-day celebrations.
She urged artists, cultural institutions, tourism professionals, museums, cultural centres, performing arts organisations and creative entrepreneurs from both countries to develop partnerships.
Olowokere also encouraged Chinese visitors to explore Abuja and Nigeria’s tourism attractions, while urging Nigerians to discover the cultural and tourism opportunities in Hunan and other parts of China.
Earlier, the Cultural Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy and Director of the China Cultural Centre in Nigeria, Yang Jianxing, said cultural and artistic exchanges could strengthen mutual understanding and friendship between Nigeria and China.
Yang said the Mid-Autumn Festival, which centres on the full moon, represented values of family reunion, harmony, peace and the shared aspiration for a better life.
‘Culture and art know no borders. A song, a dance or a sincere gathering can cross mountains and oceans and touch people’s hearts,’ he said.
He said Hunan had three World Heritage sites and nine elements inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Yang noted that Changsha, the provincial capital, had served as the permanent host city of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo since 2019, adding that Hunan and Nigeria had developed ties in trade, investment, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
He said the Hunan delegation brought songs, dances, acrobatics and other performances to Abuja, while Nigerian cultural presentations were also featured to promote mutual appreciation.
Yang said the programme was particularly significant as 2026 marked the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and China and the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
He expressed hope that the cultural engagement would lead to stronger ties between Hunan and Nigeria, particularly between Hunan and Abuja, while encouraging more Nigerians to visit the province and experience its cultural heritage and tourism attractions.