The China Movie Channel (CMC) and the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) have entered into a strategic partnership to expand the exchange of film and television content and deepen cultural cooperation between Nigeria and China.
The agreement was signed on Friday at the China Cultural Centre in Abuja during the China-Nigeria Film and Literature Symposium, which brought together government officials, broadcasters, writers and creative industry practitioners from the two countries.
The partnership is expected to create fresh opportunities for Nigerian and Chinese audiences to access each other’s film productions, while encouraging greater interaction between professionals in the two creative industries.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, said the agreement represented an important development in efforts to strengthen friendship and mutual understanding between the peoples of both countries.
He said film and literature serve as powerful vehicles through which societies preserve their histories, express their values and communicate their experiences to audiences beyond their borders.
Yu noted that Nigeria and China have rich literary traditions and vibrant film industries, pointing to the contributions of leading writers and filmmakers from both countries to global culture.
He said the growing circulation of Nigerian and Chinese creative works had already enabled audiences in both countries to gain a better appreciation of their respective cultures.
The ambassador cited the popularity of Chinese films among Nigerian audiences and the growing interest in Nigerian productions in China as evidence of the potential for further cultural cooperation.
According to him, the CMC-NTA agreement would provide an additional platform for strengthening these exchanges and creating opportunities for professionals in the film and television sectors to work together.
Also speaking, NTA Director-General, Salihu Abdulhamid Dembos, described the partnership as an opportunity to convert the longstanding friendship between Nigeria and China into practical cooperation within the creative economy.
Dembos said the agreement would support areas such as content sharing, joint production, professional development and technological cooperation.
He expressed confidence that the partnership would benefit filmmakers, broadcasters, writers and emerging talents by providing opportunities for knowledge sharing and access to new markets.
The NTA chief said the collaboration was also consistent with the authority’s drive to modernise its operations and strengthen its position as a competitive public broadcaster in the digital era.
He urged both organisations to pursue concrete initiatives capable of producing visible benefits for audiences and creative professionals in Nigeria and China.
Cui Binzhen, Editor-in-Chief of China Movie Channel, said the agreement would establish a framework for more regular interaction between the two broadcasting organisations.
Cui said the initiative was particularly significant because of the longstanding diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and China and the growing importance of cultural exchanges in strengthening bilateral relations.
He said CMC had accumulated considerable experience in promoting Chinese cinema internationally, having broadcast thousands of films and organised China Film Weeks in countries across the world.
According to him, the channel intends to use the partnership with NTA to further explore stories that showcase the relationship between the two countries and promote greater understanding through cinema.
The event also featured the China-Nigeria Film and Literature Symposium, which provided an opportunity for participants to examine the role of film and literature in reflecting social realities and promoting dialogue between peoples.
