(Abuja, Nigeria)

On May 22, 2026, a delegation from Shanghai Jianhang Investment Co., Ltd. held talks in Abuja with Abubakar Sani Sambo, President of the Nigerian Academy of Sciences, and African plant research experts. The two sides reached a consensus on cooperation regarding a joint research and development project on Cola Nuts

The project will focus on the extraction of exosomes from distinctive African plant species, such as the cola nut, and research into their medical applications, paving the way for future commercialization. The project adopts a “golden triangle” collaboration framework: jointly initiated by Shanghai Jianhang University and Igbiniton University (IUO) in Nigeria, it brings together the Nigerian Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to promote joint research and development between national-level research institutions in China and Nigeria.

The Nigerian Academy of Sciences stated that kola nuts, as a distinctive cash crop of the country, hold vast potential for further processing and industrialization in areas such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant applications, and that it will fully support the advancement of the project. This collaboration also marks the expansion of Shanghai Jianhang’s investment portfolio in Nigeria from agriculture and industry into the biopharmaceutical sector.