The Government of the People’s Republic of China has expressed readiness to partner the Africa Blue Economy Roundtable (ABER) and other relevant institutions through the Foreign Affairs Ministries in respective countries, as required by diplomatic protocol, to accelerate the development of the Blue Economy, affirming that China prioritizes sustainable delta use, coastal Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) management and ocean literacy.
The commitment was given in Abuja on Wednesday when the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E. Yu Dunhai represented by Mr Sun Xuekun, the Counsellor in charge of Economic and Commercial Office of the embassy, received a high-powered delegation of ABER led by its Convener and Founder, Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo.
The Ambassador reiterated China’s strong maritime and business interests in Nigeria and Africa, noting China’s role in major infrastructure including ports, rail, free trade zones and maritime logistics. He said China views Nigeria as a strategic partner in the Gulf of Guinea and remains committed to deepening cooperation in river basin management, coastal protection, delta governance and capacity building under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
The visit was facilitated by ABER as part of its continental mandate to mobilize South-South cooperation, policy advocacy and investment for Africa’s $1 trillion Blue Economy.
ABER’s Role in Advancing Africa’s Blue Economy
Speaking during the courtesy visit, Dr. Kiyaramo commended the Chinese Government and the East China Normal University (ECNU), Shanghai, for launching the China-Africa Cooperation on River Basins, Coastal Zones and Delta Governance, describing it as a historic milestone.
Dr. Kiyaramo positioned ABER as the natural bridge between Shanghai’s science and Africa’s rivers. He noted that ABER is a Pan-African platform of over 400 maritime experts, academics, industry leaders and seafarers across 25 coastal states and the Diaspora, driving Africa’s blue transition through its IDP-H Framework – Identify, Protect, Harness.
He outlined ABER’s four-pillar contribution: Policy Advocacy: ABER championed the creation of Nigeria’s first National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy approved in May 2025 and is now advocating for a complementary National River Basin and Delta Governance Framework, drawing lessons from China’s integrated Yangtze Delta model for the Niger Delta.
Knowledge & Data: Addressing Africa’s critical lack of baseline data on river-to-sea flows, ABER proposes an ECNU-ABER River-Delta Knowledge Hub to be domiciled in Nigeria for joint research, monitoring stations on the Niger and Benue rivers, and training of hydrologists.
Inclusion: Through its Africa Blue Ocean Guardians, ABER’s youth-led coastal protection network, ABER places women fish processors, fishermen and delta youth at the centre of blue growth as community monitors for river health and
Continental Scale: ABER is mobilizing its Pan-African network to replicate the ECNU model from the Niger Delta to the Senegal River Delta and Congo Basin.
“We have discussed Blue Economy as a sea economy. Yet 60% of marine pollution comes from rivers, and 70% of fish breed in deltas. You cannot govern the sea without governing the river that feeds it. ECNU has understood this nexus,” Dr. Kiyaramo said.
“This launch moves China-Africa cooperation from the ocean to its source – from deep sea to river. For us, it is the missing link in FOCAC, which has been our bridge since 2000. Our rivers – Niger, Benue, Congo – are choking. Our coasts from the Gulf of Guinea to Mozambique erode at 3-4 metres yearly. Our deltas, notably the Niger Delta which sustains over 200 million people, are caught between exploitation, climate change and poverty.”
To formalize the partnership, ABER proposed three concrete steps: One: Designation of ABER as Nigeria’s Implementing Partner for ECNU’s Africa Programme; Two: Establishment of a Joint China-Africa River-Coast-Delta Fellowship for 20 African scholars annually at ECNU;
Three: Co-hosting of an Abuja-Shanghai Delta Governance Dialogue in Yenagoa during ABER’s proposed Gulf of Guinea Blue Economy Media Summit, with the Chinese Embassy and ECNU as co-hosts.
“Presidents Tinubu and Xi Jinping have affirmed the ocean as our shared future. That future will be decided not just in Beijing and Abuja, but in the river that flows, the coast that erodes, and the delta that sustains life. ABER stands ready to be the bridge between Shanghai’s science and Africa’s rivers,” Dr. Kiyaramo added.
The courtesy visit ended with both parties agreeing to deepen technical engagements towards a formal ABER-China partnership framework.
The ABER delegation included Dr. Amenya Kartay, Chief of Staff and Head of Abuja Liaison Bureau; Hajiya Medina Dauda Nadabo, Director of Communication and Public Affairs; Prince Ibiok, Director of ICT and Digital Innovation; and Celina Momoh, Special Assistant to the Convener and Founder on Protocol.
