The German Ambassador to Nigeria, Annett Günther has expressed the commitment of Germany to deepen and strengthen bilateral relations with Nigeria as trade volume between the two countries hits €3b.
Ambassador Günther stated this while briefing journalists in Abuja, on the bilateral relations between the two countries.
She disclosed that Nigeria is Germany’s second-largest trading partner in Sub-Saharan Africa and an important political, economic and cultural partner.
According to Günther ” Germany contributed a total trade volume of €3 billion in 2022 (up from €2 billion in 2021) and the European Union is Nigeria’s most important trading partner with total trade volume of €45.8 billion.”
She also gave the assurance that “Germany’s foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Nigeria will prospectively surpass the €1 billion mark.”
According to the envoy, Germany’s main export to Nigeria are machines (28%), food products 20% and chemical products (19%) while Nigeria’s main exports to Germany are crude oil 83%, food products 12% other raw materials 4%.
She also revealed that no fewer than 90 German companies currently operate in Nigeria, creating 17,000 jobs directly and minimum 10-fold indirectly.
The envoy also noted that all the European Union countries put together have generated around 160,000 jobs in Nigeria.
In the area of developmental cooperation, she said Germany has also invested over €600 million in development projects across all sectors of Nigeria economy.
“Germany has committed a total of 600 million Euros in development cooperation grants in ongoing projects and another 620 million pledged to ECOWAS in current projects.”
In terms of humanitarian assistance, the envoy said Germany remains the second biggest donor to Nigeria “with €50 million in 2022 on activities such as protection, food security, health and shelter that save lives every day.” Ambassador Günther said.
In the fields of energy and climate, Günther stated that a bilateral energy partnership to build up renewable energy production and improve energy efficiency has existed between both countries since 2008.
“This has been expanded in line with Nigerian Government’s National Hydrogen Strategy with the opening of a German-Nigerian Hydrogen Office in Abuja, which supports the hydrogen sector with a view of increasing Nigeria’s export capabilities.
“Presidential Power Initiative is ongoing to improve Nigeria’s electricity grid with Siemens technology as a basis for enhanced economic growth.
“There is interest by German companies in implementing Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan (ETP), using German high-tech investments in climate-friendly technology,” Gunther stated.
The envoy said both countries have 22 University cooperation’s with 4,000 Nigerian Students currently schooling in Germany.
She further revealed that more than 1000 of the students are on scholarships.
She also disclosed that 2000 Nigerians passed the German language examinations at the Goethe Institute in 2022 as part of the countless exchanges between both countries.
Other area of support to Nigeria, the envoy said include training 600 police trainers, refurbishing training colleges and providing mobile barracks in support of the Nigerian Police Reform and Transformation Office (PORTO) within NPF as a hub for reform.
In terms of German Government’s cooperation with Nigeria, Ambassador Günther explained that Germany implements its cooperation activities in Nigeria in the three pillars of Development, Stabilisation and Humanitarian, as well as Democracy, Rule of Law and Human Rights.
She reiterated the commitment of the German government to return all the Benin Bronzes in Germany possession to their country of origin- Nigeria.
According to the envoy, “the ownership of more than one thousand Benin Bronzes in Germany was transferred to the Nigerian government in 2022.”
Ambassador Günther dislosed that December last year, the German Foreign Minister Annalan Beerbock visited Nigeria, specifically to personally to return twenty most valuables and beautiful bronzes.
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