The Export and Import Bank of China (China EXIM) and UNICEF have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on essential services aimed at improving the wellbeing of children in Nigeria.
A statement by the Communication Specialist at UNICEF, Susan Akila, said the new partnership will support UNICEF in delivering integrated healthcare, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services to vulnerable children and families in 12 healthcare facilities, 21 schools, 17 markets, and 450 communities within Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with backing from China EXIM and the Nigerian government.
The MOU was officially signed at China EXIM’s office in Beijing, following a meeting attended by China EXIM Vice President Yang Dongning, UNICEF representative to China, Amakobe Sande, and witnessed by Mr. Jimmy Patrick Ebi, the acting Charge d’Affairs of the Embassy of Nigeria to China.
The statement noted that UNICEF and China EXIM will mobilise financial resources to support children, provide technical expertise in programming implementation and financing, explore innovative financing, and promote local procurement, capacity building, and knowledge sharing.
The statement said the MoU marks the first partnership agreement between UNICEF and a China-based financial institution. The MOU also highlights UNICEF’s role as a trusted partner for multilateral development banks and other financial institutions, enabling them to achieve greater social impact for children.
Globally, UNICEF is mobilising financial resources and exploring innovative financing solutions to support children in humanitarian emergencies and in some of the least developed countries around the world.
