31st October, 2019
Nigerian Ajayi Adeniyi Olugbenga, one of the 60 Nigerian engineers being trained in China, is enthusiastic of learning advanced manufacturing and maintenance technology in the industrial city of Anshan, Liaoning province.
The 41-year-old engineer arrived in August to Northeast China’s Liaoning province for six months training of theory, transformer design and equipment maintenance, reported China Daily.
To upgrade Nigeria’s power grid, Liaoning Huaye Group and China Great Wall Industry Group Cooperation jointly undertook the construction of Nigeria electrical industry park.
The $300-million project consists of three transformer plants and one high-voltage power testing centre.
After the completion of the plants, Nigeria will be able to independently produce power transmission and transformation equipment and even serve other African countries.
Nigerian presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu told Xinhua Nigeria has suffered a long-term power supply deficit, which is a major obstacle in the country’s way of economic diversification.
“We expect the engineers to bring home what they have learned in China, and I’m sure they will do something in manufacturing indigenous electric devices and alleviating power shortages in the country,” Shehu said.
Ma liming, chairman of Liaoning Huaye Group, said the training service is only the initial stage of the project.
In the future, more engineers will come to China to receive training. They will be responsible for the production and operation of the park in the future. It will also help Nigeria build its own talent pool, said Ma.
Based in Anshan, Liaoning Huaye Group is a national high-tech enterprise with 26 years of experience in power equipment production. It has provided transformer plant construction services for the Republic of Mali and Ethiopia in the past.
Ma said Huaye is organizing experts to formulate the national electrical standards for Nigerian government.–China Daily