China remains a trustworthy, sincere friend and reliable partner to ECOWAS – Envoy

The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, has said that China remains a trustworthy, sincere friend and reliable partner to ECOWAS and all other West African nations.

Yu stated this in Abuja during the commissioning ceremony of the China-Aid ECOWAS Headquarters Building.

The Chinese envoy said the modern architectural marvel, hailed as the “Eye of West Africa”, stands as a flagship project under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

He also said the commissioning marked another historic milestone in China’s enduring support for African integration, serving as a shining model of South-South cooperation in the new era.

Yu further said the development ultimately embodied the shared vision of West African nations in pursuing unity, strength and prosperity, while vividly illustrating the profound bond between China and Africa.

China and Africa, he added, are brothers and partners bound by a shared future.

“In our cooperation, China consistently upholds the principles of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, alongside the right approach to justice and interests.

“At the FOCAC Beijing Summit, President Xi Jinping and African leaders jointly drew up a grand blueprint for an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future. They proposed six major pillars and ten partnership actions to advance modernization hand-in-hand, providing crucial guidance for our closer alignment.

“Currently, profound changes unseen in a century are accelerating globally, and the international landscape remains complex and volatile. Developing countries face common challenges.

“China consistently views and builds its relations with ECOWAS from a strategic and long-term perspective. We firmly support ECOWAS in playing a leading role in maintaining regional peace, promoting development, and improving livelihoods.

“China remains forever a trustworthy, sincere friend and reliable partner to ECOWAS and all West African nations,” Yu said.

The Chinese envoy further said that, standing at a new historical starting point, he would like to share China’s vision for the future of China-ECOWAS relations.

“First, we must maintain high-level political mutual trust and consolidate strategic synergy. We should continue to extend firm mutual support on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns.

“We will deepen the exchange of governance experiences, enhance the representation and voice of African countries in international affairs to build a more just and equitable global governance system.

“Second, we must pursue high-quality pragmatic cooperation to foster shared prosperity. China will fully implement the ‘Ten Partnership Actions’, focusing heavily on infrastructure, the digital economy, green development and food security.

“We aim to accelerate trade and investment, fully utilise China’s ‘zero-tariff’ policy towards African countries, and enhance Africa’s capacity for independent development.

“Third, we must foster closer people-to-people bonds and pass on our traditional friendship. This year marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Africa and the ‘China-Africa Year of People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges’.

“We should expand multi-faceted exchanges in culture, education, youth and sports, and cement the foundational goodwill of China-Africa friendship,” Yu disclosed.

He also said: “As the ‘Eye of West Africa’ officially kicks off operations, may this marvellous edifice serve as a new dawn for West Africa’s peace, unity and prosperity.

“May the friendship between China and West Africa last forever!” he concluded.

In his remarks, Vice President Kashim Shettima, in a speech titled ‘A House Built to Endure’, said an institution such as ECOWAS prevails because the region has chosen to preserve its place as a pillar of stability.

Shettima also said nations do not endure by accident, and neither do the communities they build.

According to Shettima, “They endure because men and women of vision refuse to surrender the ties that bind them, holding fast to the ancient truth that the fate of one is woven into the fate of all.”

Speaking further, the Vice President said: “The edifice we gather to commission today is both a mirror of how far we have come and a window onto the road ahead. It rises above this city as the keeping of a promise our founding fathers made in an hour when the future of West Africa was still an idea in search of a home.”

He added that the commissioning marked not only the inauguration of an impressive landmark but also the renewal of a covenant — ECOWAS’ covenant with the ideals of regional integration, solidarity and shared prosperity.

“I warmly congratulate the President and Management of the ECOWAS Commission for bringing this important project to fruition, and for accomplishing what many among us once imagined but few dared to build,” Shettima stated.

The Vice President expressed Nigeria’s and the ECOWAS community’s profound appreciation to the Government of the People’s Republic of China for its generous support in financing the magnificent complex.

“Our gratitude equally goes to Shaanxi Construction Engineering Group Company Limited, the consultants, our Nigerian counterparts, and every stakeholder whose professionalism and dedication have brought this achievement to life. A house is never the work of one hand, and every hand that laboured here has written its name into the story of our shared aspirations.

“This magnificent edifice, aptly described as the ‘Eye of Africa’, stands before us as a symbol of renewal, of resilience, and of confidence in the future of our Community. It speaks of the rebirth of our collective aspirations and of our resolve to build a stronger, a more prosperous, and a more united West Africa for the generations who will one day inherit whatever we are wise enough to leave behind.

“More than fifty years ago, our founding fathers gathered in Lagos bearing a bold vision, that of an Economic Community which would unite our peoples and quicken the pace of development across the region. Today, ECOWAS stands proudly among the most respected Regional Economic Communities in the world, having made significant strides in the cause of regional peace, economic cooperation, democratic governance, and the free movement of people, goods and services.

“Yet we would deceive ourselves were we to pretend that the challenges before us are behind us. Our region continues to confront the threats of terrorism and violent extremism, of economic vulnerability, of food insecurity, of a changing climate, of public health concerns, and the rising aspirations of a youthful population that will not, and should not, be made to wait forever.

“We press on towards deeper economic integration, industrial development, monetary cooperation and the welfare of our peoples, knowing that the labour of building a Community is a labour that is never truly finished.

“The next phase of our integration must therefore carry us beyond aspiration into action. The hour has come to transform our regional market into a regional production base. We must deepen our industrialisation, fortify our regional value chains, expand our intra-regional trade, and open the doors of innovation, manufacturing and investment to our young people. Our integration must increasingly be driven by what we produce rather than by what we consume, for a Community that consumes what it does not make will forever live at the mercy of the goodwill of others,” Shettima further said.

While saying that ECOWAS remained firmly on course towards the realisation of its Vision 2050 and the aspirations of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the Vice President stated that the region’s commitment to a peaceful, secure, democratic and prosperous region remained resolute, and no difficulty of the present hour would be permitted to dim the ambition of that distant horizon towards which it marches.

“The recent withdrawal of three member states, and the shifting security landscape around us, remind us of a hard truth: that regional integration can no longer be an economic imperative alone. It has become a comprehensive framework for our collective security, our political stability, our sustainable development and the welfare of our peoples.

“These realities summon us to renewed dialogue, to deeper solidarity, and to a shared sense of collective responsibility, for the door of this Community must remain open even to those who have chosen, for now, to stand apart from us.

“As we continue upon this journey, we are heartened by the enduring partnerships we have cultivated across the years. This new headquarters stands as a lasting affirmation of the friendship and cooperation between ECOWAS and the People’s Republic of China. From the conception of this project to its completion, China has proven a dependable partner in our regional development, honouring its word at every stage of the work.

“China’s own remarkable journey of development stands as living evidence that sustained vision, resilience and strategic investment can transform nations and regions alike. Having overcome immense developmental challenges over the passing decades, China understands, as few others can, the complexity of the path upon which West Africa now sets its feet.

“As we commission this landmark today, may it serve not only as a place of work, but as a centre of vision, dialogue, innovation and collective action. May every decision taken within these walls advance the peace, the unity, the prosperity and the dignity of the peoples of West Africa. And may those who labour here never forget that behind every policy there stands a human face, a family, a village, a hope that dares not be betrayed,” he prayed.

Also speaking, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Alieu Omar Touray, said the commissioning marked a truly historic milestone in the life of the Community.

He also said the moment was the culmination of a journey that began with a bold vision, was set in motion at the groundbreaking ceremony in December 2022, and has now found full expression in the modern, purpose-built complex being commissioned.

“Your Excellencies, this headquarters stands not merely as an architectural achievement, but as a powerful symbol of our collective determination to deepen regional integration, strengthen institutional efficiency, and advance the shared prosperity of our peoples.

“At the groundbreaking ceremony, we recognised the urgent need for a consolidated, modern facility to house the growing operations of ECOWAS, which had long been dispersed across multiple locations in Abuja, with attendant operational and logistical challenges.

“Today, we celebrate the realisation of that vision — an integrated complex designed to enhance coordination, improve productivity, and support the expanding mandate of our Community.

“We must commend the remarkable achievement of completing this complex within a relatively short period of approximately two years — a feat that reflects strong partnership, commitment and efficiency,” the ECOWAS Commission President said.

He added that the project was also a shining example of international cooperation in support of regional development.

“We wish to express our profound appreciation to the People’s Republic of China for its generous financial and technical support, which made this project possible. This contribution underscores the strength of China-ECOWAS relations and their positive impact on our peace, security and development agenda.

“Equally, we extend our deepest gratitude to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, our host country, whose continued leadership and steadfast support to ECOWAS — through land allocation, policy facilitation and institutional backing — have once again demonstrated Nigeria’s pivotal role in the advancement of regional unity and integration.

“Your Excellencies, the facility we commission today is truly befitting of a regional organisation of ECOWAS’ stature. With its modern office wings, state-of-the-art conference centre, advanced interpretation systems, and comprehensive support infrastructure, it provides an enabling environment for effective decision-making and policy implementation.

“More importantly, it embodies our collective aspiration for a more integrated, peaceful and prosperous West Africa,” Touray stated.