German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has commended President Bola Tinubu for strengthening relations between Nigeria and Germany, particularly through high-level visits and meetings at multilateral forums.
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, Sen. Ita Enang, disclosed this in a statement following bilateral discussions between Steinmeier and Nigerian officials.
The talks focused on economic relations, the power sector, agricultural development, food security, migration and consular matters.
The two sides also discussed expanding opportunities for skilled Nigerians in Germany, particularly in medicine, technology, information technology, artificial intelligence and other technical fields through a proposed Nigeria-Germany migration agreement.
Steinmeier also commended Nigeria’s leadership role in the Economic Community of West African States and stressed the need to encourage countries that have withdrawn from the regional bloc to return.
The discussions also covered regional security, with Germany and Nigeria considering stronger state-to-state coordination to address security challenges across West Africa and the Sahel.
Nigeria and Germany further discussed plans to attract automobile manufacturers to establish assembly plants in Nigeria instead of exporting fully assembled vehicles to the country.
The move, according to the statement, would help build local capacity and promote technology transfer.
The two countries also discussed Germany’s role as a guarantor of the Green Tree Agreement following the International Court of Justice ruling on the Nigeria-Cameroon land and maritime boundary, including issues surrounding the Bakassi Peninsula and the displacement of populations.
German companies’ interest in capturing gas currently flared in the Niger Delta and other oil fields for electricity generation was also discussed, alongside opportunities to expand Nigeria’s oil and gas exports to Germany.
Enang expressed the Federal Government’s appreciation for humanitarian assistance recently donated by Germany and conveyed by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul during a meeting with Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Bianca Ojukwu.
The Nigerian and German sides also discussed the need for more state-to-state visits, building on previous engagements and the cordial relationship between Tinubu and Steinmeier.
The meeting was attended by designated federal ministers and senior officials of the German government, as well as representatives of the Nigerian mission in Berlin.
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