Mr Daniel Krull, the new Consul General of Germany in Lagos, has pledged to deepen economic, cultural, and academic cooperation between Germany and Nigeria.
The Consul General, during a news conference on Monday at the German Consulate in Lagos, described Lagos as Nigeria’s economic hub, saying “he felt prepared for his role, having previously served as Germany’s ambassador to Ghana.”
He noted that improving visa services remained central to the consulate’s work and reforms were underway. Also, the consulate processes over 10,000 visas yearly, and visa counters will be doubled to fast-track applications.
According to Krull, external service providers would soon support specific visa categories. “We are trying to serve our Nigerian customers better in the future,” he said.
He also revealed that a German film industry delegation visited Lagos for the African Film Festival, which began on Sunday. The delegation included filmmakers, intellectual property experts, and equipment companies seeking collaborations with Nollywood.
“This visit marks the first outreach by German movie companies to Nigeria, and we hope for deeper cooperation in film production,” he said.
Krull added that Germany also plans to expand scientific cooperation and strengthen partnerships between universities in both countries.
He highlighted Germany’s support for the Museum of West African Arts in Benin City.
The museum, funded with about six million euros from Germany, will feature the Nigeria Imaginaries Exhibition previously shown in Vienna in 2024.
“There is a wide basket of promising areas of cooperation, and I hope to act as a facilitator across sectors,” he said.
NAN