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FG’s Delegation Meets with Sino Steel on Revitalisation of Ajaokuta Steel Company
Dike Onwuamaeze
The Minister of Steel Development, Mr. Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, has affirmed the federal government’s commitment to deliver a steel sector that could drive Nigeria’s industrial growth and global competitiveness through collaboration with credible international partners.
Audu made this declaration when the a federal government’s delegation that comprised of the Director-General of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP), Mr. Joseph Tegbe, held a strategic meeting with executives of Sino Steel, one of China’s largest and most influential steel conglomerates.
The high-level engagement focused on advancing the long-delayed revitalisation of the Ajaokuta Steel Company, a key industrial asset considered critical to Nigeria’s manufacturing ambitions and job creation strategy.
The delegation held discussions on technical evaluations, operational modelling and financing frameworks required to restore the steel facility to full productivity.
The Ajaokuta Steel Company, with an existing installed capacity of 1.9 million tonnes and the potential to scale up to 5.0 million tonnes annually, remained a cornerstone of this agenda—particularly in supporting the automotive, construction, and heavy machinery sectors.
Speaking after the meeting, Tegbe described the discussions as “strategic, technical, and action-oriented,” noting that the collaboration reflected a strong alignment between Nigerian economic aspirations and China’s expertise in large-scale industrial development.
The executives of Sino Steel also expressed their readiness to deploy a technical team for an on-site viability assessment of the Ajaokuta plant in the coming weeks after which it would present a comprehensive proposal outlining a phased roadmap for modernisation and operational optimisation. This engagement is one of several high-level interactions between Nigerian and Chinese stakeholders in recent months, as the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership continued to play a central role in catalysing bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, manufacturing, and industrial development—consistent with the shared commitments of President Tinubu and President of China, Mr. Xi Jinping.
