At the invitation of His Excellency President Xi Jinping President Cyril Ramaphosa has undertaken a State Visit to the People’s Republic of China to also participate at the Forum on China – Africa Cooperation Summit (FOCAC).

The State Visit and FOCAC Summit commence in Beijing from 2 – 5 September 2024.

President Cyril Ramaphosa hosted President Xi Jinping on his fourth State Visit to South Africa in August 2023 in the City of Tshwane, cementing twenty-five years of strong bonds of friendship and cooperation the two countries enjoy since establishing formal diplomatic relations.

A statement issued by the Presidency of the Republic of South Africa says China is South Africa’s largest trading partner globally, while South Africa is China’s number one trading partner in Africa, adding that total bilateral trade grew from R614 billion in 2022 to R692 billion in 2023.

The statement says: “On Monday, 2 September 2024, President Ramaphosa’s State Visit to China officially commences with a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People. Ahead of the bilateral engagement, President Ramaphosa will lay a wreath at the Monument to the Peoples Heroes in Tiananmen Square in honour of Chinese revolutionaries.

“South Africa and China’s bilateral relations are maintained at the level of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) level, underpinned by a Ten-Year Strategic Programme of Cooperation (2020 – 2029).

“South Africa and China will sign agreements that are aimed at enhancing economic cooperation and the implementation of technical cooperation, particularly in the fields of human settlements, agriculture and science and technology.”

It adds: “On Tuesday, 3 September 2024, President Ramaphosa will champion South Africa’s economic diplomacy with China by visiting Shenzhen, an economic technology hub in the Guangdong Province to interact with industry leaders and tour the headquarters of two tech companies as part of the bilateral business programme of the State Visit.

“The President will address the South Africa – China Business Forum on Wednesday, 4 September 2024, on the margins of the FOCAC in Beijing.

“On Thursday, 5, September 2024, President Ramaphosa, will participate in the FOCAC Summit held under the theme “Joining Hands to Advance Modernisation and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future”.

The President is slated to co- chair, with the Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Mr Wang Huning, the High-Level Panel Seminar on “Accompanying Africa in Industrialization, Agricultural Modernization and Green Development to Embark on the path to Modernization.”

South Africa ‘s participation in FOCAC is driven by a constant advancement of Africa’s position on development as outlined by the African Union’s Agenda 2063: The Africa we Want and its related Flagship Programmes.

A Declaration and Action Plan (2025-2027) will be issued as the outcome documents of the 2024 FOCAC Summit, the statement adds.

The Ministers of International Relations and Cooperation, Science, Technology and Innovation; Human Settlements; Small Business Development; Presidency; Trade Industry and Competition; Electricity and Energy; Public Works and Infrastructure; Higher Education; Agriculture accompanied the President to the China State Visit and FOCAC along Premiers of the Eastern Cape and Limpopo province as well as senior government officials.

BY JEFF ADE
Lagos, 26 August 2024 – Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), the continent’s leading infrastructure solutions provider, is arranging a project development facility to support Africa’s largest gas-to-methanol plant, with the aim of significantly reducing CO2 emissions by offsetting flaring of natural gas and turning it instead into a valuable chemical for solvents, paints, plastics and car parts.

A statement by the Corporation made available to the media by Yewande Thorpe says the project in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria, targets producing an initial 1.8 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of methanol, diversifying the local economy and generating more than 18,000 jobs. According to the statement, AFC has committed development stage financing to de-risk the project and enable it reach financial close, along with providing financial advisory services to the sponsors to raise the required project financing and support successful delivery of this transformational project. The venture is led by Blackrose, a project development and investment firm, and co-developed with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, which are co-financing alongside AFC.

Most of Nigeria’s 200 cubic feet of natural gas reserves – the largest in Africa, accounting for a third of the continent’s total, AFC says, remain unexploited, presenting a substantial opportunity to bolster the country’s natural resource beneficiation and enhance climate resilience. The Corporation also noted that Gas flaring has been a significant hazard for local people since the beginning of oil production, emitting chemicals linked to respiratory and other health issues.

“This innovative project is transforming an immense negative for Nigerians into a very significant positive by harnessing this country’s abundant gas reserves as a unique opportunity to become a global leader in low-carbon manufacturing and energy systems,” said Samaila Zubairu, President and CEO of AFC, adding “This strategic collaboration with Blackrose and IFC underscores our dedication to supporting Africa’s pragmatic transition to net zero, emphasising rapid industrialisation, local job creation, and socio-economic advancement through the production of methanol, a versatile and low-carbon industrial feedstock.”

The project will be implemented in two phases, each with an installed capacity of 1.8 MTPA, according to the Corporation. Phase one is expected to produce low-carbon methanol, an industrial chemical essential to the manufacturing of hundreds of everyday products, including solvents for the pharmaceutical industry, paints, plastics, automobile parts and construction materials. This is also a lower emissions alternative fuel used in hard-to-decarbonise sectors such as shipping and industrial boilers, with applications for cooking stoves and fuel cell solutions. Phase two of the project, the statement says, will expand methanol production to include ammonia, a critical feedstock for fertiliser production.

Methanol is produced using synthetic gas predominantly from coal and natural gas. By utilising best-in-class energy efficient production methods, the plant will achieve a much lower net carbon intensity compared to traditional methanol synthesis techniques, while also reducing CO2 emissions by converting gas that would otherwise have been flared. In addition, the project incorporates plans for carbon capture and offset strategies as well as the use of external hydrogen to bring targets even closer to carbon neutrality.

Once operational, the gas-to-methanol plant is expected to generate more than 2,500 local jobs during the construction phase and a further 16,000 jobs indirectly by catalysing manufacturing activity and economic diversification.

AFC was established in 2007 to be the catalyst for pragmatic infrastructure and industrial investments across Africa. The Corporation’s approach combines specialist industry expertise with a focus on financial and technical advisory, project structuring, project development, and risk capital to address Africa’s infrastructure development needs and drive sustainable economic growth.

Seventeen years on, AFC has developed a track record as the partner of choice in Africa for investing and delivering on instrumental, high-quality infrastructure assets that provide essential services in the core infrastructure sectors of power, natural resources, heavy industry, transport, and telecommunications. AFC has 43-member countries and has invested US$13 billion across Africa since inception.

Nigeria’s 10th Senate clocked one year on June 13th, 2024 with a scorecard that has generated wide interest. In this report, Nature Substance of CherryAfrica x-rays the journey and intrigues so far while placing the leadership of the Senate President Akpabio on a scale.

Legislative engagements on a broader platform like the National Assembly in a bubbling and diversely big country like Nigeria with myriads of challenges certainly cannot be for the weak and fun-seekers. Cherry Africa discovered that those who had gone there with velvety mats, duvets, cutlery and beverages and for the main purpose of selfi es near swimming pools and Italian glazed doors have had their shame to shallow in pensive silence. With the benevolence of the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA), documents and details are now accessible, almost flying, even against the worst mischievous resistance
by some recalcitrant guys on the lobbies.

Yes. Up there, no excuses. Our team was informed that lawmakers are expected to sweat out and even lick the drops for what they’re hugely paid for, in patriotic service to dear country. Else, periodic or terminal scorecards will expose somebody.

Even when they are gone, some names and faces whose sonorous or hoarse voices were only heard during voice votes at plenaries could still be remembered. Thank heavens! The annual report of the 10th Senate in the last 366 days looks suggestive of the fact that the lawmakers, perhaps phenomenally inspired by the Akpabio phenomenon, knew beforehand
the dire implications of sluggishness and loitering. Good.

It was learnt that given the elastic cobwebs the country was caught in as at June 2023; the catalogue and sequence of events that have culminated in the present; and looking at the collective performance of the 10th Senate in the past one year under the charismatic and dynamic leadership of Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio as its President, it can safely be argued that it was more of Providence rather than coincidence of time that brought Nigeria’s 10th Senate into existence. Nigeria, and Nigerians, needed something unique for a paradigm shift, to progressively and aggressively reclaim their endangered dreams, identity, and dignity in the comity of nations.

Record showed that the 10th National Assembly was inaugurated on June 13, 2023. But just six months after, between June 13, 2023 and December 31, 2023, record further indicated, the Senate had already initiated 338 bills, 10 of which had been fully passed into  Acts of Parliament, 11 at various stages at Committee level, 179 awaiting second reading, and 135 in the offing to be laid before the Committee of the Whole, besides related involvements and interventions on the sidelines. No doubt, the momentum of robust engagements and dedication to duty was understandably high!

Commentators have said that perhaps was the earliest and promising pointer to the fact that Members of the 10th Senate were not in the Hallowed Chamber for a cocktail or inconsequential grandiloquence.

Conversely, it was the initial flashlight of the patriotism, energy, enthusiasm, leadership pedigree and demonstrable capacity of Senator Godswill Akpabio at galvanizing human capital in fulfilling the tripodal mandate of lawmaking, oversight and representation, in response to pressing national needs and futuristic challenges. Memorably, Leader of the House, Sen. Bamidele Opeyemi, had with modesty described this incipient but fantastic beginning as “Dawn of a New Order to Reposition Nigeria for True Federalism”, in his article published in Thisday Newspaper, Tuesday, March 12, 2024.

PRELIMINARY OVERSIGHT ENGAGEMENTS
Counting from the inauguration, a serving lawmaker on phone who insisted it wasn’t necessary his name appeared in print told our team that the Senate did not have any breathing space because of the workload of imminent duties that was waiting for their prompt attention. He said although the Senate statutorily sat for 15 days before the annual recess of about one and half month between 2nd August, 2023 and September 25, it was able to successfully screen and confirm military service chiefs for the new administration, board members of the North-East Development Commission, the Central Bank Governor and four deputies as well as 48 ministerial nominees, out of which three
were rejected.

“There was also the amendment and passage of the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Bill to accommodate “the provisions of Palliatives and other items to Nigerians to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal and other matters. On line also was the approval of an executive request for “Additional Financing of the National Social Safety Net Programme
through a facility secured from the World Bank. The peculiarity and diversity of the bill perhaps emphasizes their importance and populist consciousness of specific sponsors and the lawmakers in general”, he concluded with a tone of pride.

SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE OF NUMBER “10” AND THE 10TH SENATE
Numerologists, experts in symbolism of numbers and existential value, associate the number “10” with completeness, divine order, and uniqueness both in the spiritual, physical realm and temporal domain. They say that whatever has to do with 10 as a number idealistically creates in the mind a sense of uniqueness, specialness and distinction that directly from, attracts attention or raises questions. This postulation resonates with 10th Nigeria’s Senate.

It would imply that legislators of the 10th Nigerian Senate came as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) at a time the index of socioeconomic conditions in the country in terms of componential growth and development on the international scale were helplessly curving downwards. There is no telling that, even before their inauguration as federal lawmakers, they were conscious of the huge challenges vicissitude has placed on their shoulders in connection with their personal aspiration and political journey, stewardship to fatherland, and the compelling need for rapid change so that they can have their signatures boldly engraved in the annals of time.

Coming as a unique mix of political party affiliations, resourceful and daring goal-getters, eggheads, patriots, nationalists, and progressives in worrisome circumstances, they were to immediately engage the gears for pragmatic change of narratives in regaining lost grounds for rapid repositioning; overhauling national psychology and orientation; and conscientious redefining of the collective goals and common destiny of about 227million people.

366 DAYS AFTER
Six months later, a spatial period of 366 days, the synopsis of activities by the 10th Senate could not have come as any surprise to keen followers of activities by the senators. In a statement released on June 13, 2024 to mark the first anniversary of the 10th National Assembly, the Senate leader, Senator Bamidele Opeyemi, torch-lighted the accomplishments and strategic collaborations of the 10th Senate under Senator Godswill Akpabio. The scorecard indicated that within the period under review, the Senate had passed 25 legislations (indicating 5.24%); 115 resolutions; and 477 bills. Out of the bills, 275 were introduced for the fi rst time; 135 awaiting 1st reading; 45 awaiting second reading; 43 at committee level; while 3 were rejected. Further breakdown showed that 13 bills were from the executive arm; whereas 464 were private member bills. The Senate also resolved 50 public petitions and screened and confirmed 215 nominees for various political offices, including key appointments into the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the
Central Bank, and Service Chiefs.

He however observed that the wide gap in bills received and passed into law was due to the discretion of the lawmakers to give priority to other fundamental national issues of most compelling importance that needed urgent intervention as required by the Constitution. He also hinted on what Nigerians should expect, stating that frameworks shall be developed to give priority to stabilizing the country’s fiscal and monetary policies, tackle security, and consumer price inflation towards creating enabling better and safer environment for good governance and wellbeing of the masses. The Senate, he added, has secured strategic collaborations and partnerships to hasten its duties and have faster results from engagements.

Further unveiling the mind of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi assured Nigerians of the parliament’s unwavering patriotism and commitment to positioning the country with the mandate entrusted to the lawmakers for remarkable regional, sub-regional and global leadership. The parliament, according to him, will also aim at nurturing and promoting participatory democracy and robust deliberations to meet populist expectations and strengthen good governance.

Expectedly, some may have expressed reservations over the scorecard. But in all fairness, a source on the staff contended that it would be unpatriotic and uncomplimentary not to commend the federal legislature, given the prevalent socioeconomic disruptions which the National Assembly and related stakeholders are currently tackling with great potentials
for successes.

CherryAfrica however took a pause to do some simple quick statistics. If the Senate had passed 25 legislations in one year, it means that average of 2 bills were passed into law each passing month. It means that every day of the year at least a bill was either introduced or considered for various stages. It also means that every member of the Red Chambers had contributed a minimum of a bill for consideration. Like someone observed, the moral implicature here is that if you don’t commend when someone does right, you automatically lost the moral license to condemn if he fails.

Exponentially, some of the things the annual report of the Senate may have indicated, by and large, are the shared awareness amongst the legislators of the tripodal mandate on their shoulders, the huge expectations of Nigerians from them, the resolve to do more and leave bold marks in the annals of time, and the compelling need for the impact of legislation and related activities to reflect in the lives of the common masses in terms of standard of living, security, infrastructure, provision and availability of social amenities, etc.

SOME BILLS CONSIDERED
Documents obtained by CherryAfrica showed some of the bills considered for reading included the Nigeria Maritime Zone Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill; Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act (Amendment) Bill; Environmental Impact Assessment Bill, Development Planning and Project Continuity Bill; Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, Bitumen Development Commission Bill; Constituency/Special Projects (Budget Provisions) Bill; Nigerian Railway Corporation Act (Amendment) Bill; Dishonoured Cheques (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill; and Nigerian
Content in Programme, Contract, Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation (Establishment) Bill.

Other bills also considered were Insurance Bill Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute Bill; and Factoring, Assignment and Receivables Financing Bill; South West Development Commission (Establishment) Bill; Federal University of Osogbo (Establishment) Bill; Explosives Act (Repeal and Re-enactment); Federal Polytechnic Onueke, Ebonyi State (Establishment) Bill; Corporate Bodies (Members Emolument) Act (Repeal) Bill; Elite Sheriff s Corps of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill; National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency Act (Amendment) Bill; and the Nigerian Maritime University Okerenkoko Establsihment) bill; etc.

Within the period, the Senate also effectively responded to petitions from constituents across the country who had been facing various forms of injustice from private and corporate entities.

There were also motions and bills sponsored that needed attention. Such included motions for prompt attention to be given to collapsed federal roads, those that have been abandoned by contractors, general review of complaints on related matters including erosion sites that needed emergency response, flooding, dredging of blocked canals, and many of such interventions – in that category was the controversial Makeup Gas Reprocessing Deal.

The Senate President has also been commended for the cordial relationship he has made to exist between the Red and Green Chambers of the National Assembly. This, observers said, has eased collaborations and prevented distractions on national interests. The completion of the renovation of the Senate, a project which started since July 2022 in the 9th Assembly also has further launched Akpabio as a goal-getter.

AKPABIO THE CATALYST AND ENIGMA
At the centre of this altruistic revolution is a man generally described as a catalyst, visionary, pathfinder, emancipator, pacifist, charismatic captain, thoroughbred administrator, and tested leader, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio. The uniqueness of the 10th Senate therefore can also be seen in the persona, idiosyncrasy, and quality of its President, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio.

He arguably may not have been the best amongst the contestants that vied for that elevated office. But he won the race, after all. We remember with dismissal the many legal hurdles the mercurial politician had had to scale in the 2023 Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District election and the Pyrrhic victory he ultimately secured.

In fact, less than a month to the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, Akpabio’s chances and fate were still hanging in a pendulum in the Court. But that is history, an inherent facet of his life that has made him the phenomenon he is. Everything he touches turned to gold.

Senator Godswill Akpabio was elected President of the 10th Senate on June 13, 2023. His historic emergence on the time tree as Nigeria’s 16th Senate President, against all odds, must have been further confirmation of the symbolism of 10 and necessity of the time and why a man of his vision, integrity, nationalistic disposition, leadership acumen and public service omnibus was so widely accepted by his colleagues as the missing key and indispensable formula for correcting for what the 10th Senate was to represent in contemporary discourse of the country’s leadership.

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