By Progress Godfrey, Abuja
The People’s Education Press (PEP) of China has donated over 900 volumes of Chinese language teaching materials and cultural books to 13 Chinese Corners in Abuja, boosting resources for Nigerian students eager to learn Chinese.
The donation, coordinated with the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria and the FCT Secondary Education Board, is aimed at addressing shortages of high-quality international Chinese textbooks in the Chinese Corners, which have become vital platforms for cultural exchange between both countries.
The Chinese Corners, first established in 2013, are now located in 13 secondary schools in Abuja and serve as hubs for students to study the Chinese language and culture. They have also produced graduates who went on to study at Confucius Institutes and are now contributing to China-Nigeria cooperation.
PEP President Huang Qiang, who joined the donation ceremony online, recalled his visit to Abuja in October 2024, where he observed Nigerian students’ keen interest in Chinese culture and the pressing need for quality learning materials. He emphasized that the book donation is meant to provide “renewed energy and support” for the development of the Chinese Corners.
“It brings me great joy to join you online at this important moment as we witness the book donation ceremony from PEP to the Chinese Corners in Nigeria.
“First, please allow me to extend my most sincere greetings and heartfelt gratitude to all the friends who have long cared for and supported cultural and educational exchanges between China and Nigeria.
“Last October, I led a delegation to Abuja, where we visited the FCT Secondary Education Board Nigeria, the China Cultural Center in Nigeria, and holding in-depth discussions with Director Ladan and Consellor Yang Jianxing, exploring the bright prospects of educational cooperation between our two countries,” he said.
Huang added that the donation was in line with the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit, pledging that PEP would continue to strengthen collaboration with Nigerian institutions and provide more high-quality educational resources.
“Today, I would like to conclude my speech with the same eight characters China-Nigeria friendship, everlasting as the heavens and the earth. May the Chinese Corners continue to thrive and may the friendship between the peoples of China and Nigeria be as enduring as the mighty flows of the Nile and the Yangtze River!”
Speaking at the event, Counselor Yang Jianxing of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria noted that the donation reflects the long-standing friendship between both countries and the growing importance of cultural exchange.
“This cross-border attention is a vivid reflection of the friendly bond between China and Nigeria, which is best described by the Chinese saying ‘Distance cannot separate true friends; even thousands of miles apart, we are still neighbors,” he said.
Yang stressed that the Chinese Corners have already become a pipeline for Nigerian students to study in Confucius Institutes and later contribute to bilateral cooperation. He said the latest donation would help transform the initiative from “single-point donations to joint system construction.”
He also revealed that 2026 will be marked as the “China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges” and the 55th anniversary of China-Nigeria diplomatic relations, during which new teaching materials and TV programs could be introduced in Nigeria to meet rising demand for Chinese language learning.