German leaders in Africa to boost economic ties and talk migration
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Nigeria and Ghana on Sunday, as the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, is to visit Tanzania and Zambia from Monday.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday his country was willing to invest in gas and critical minerals in Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer, as he started his two-nation visit to sub-Saharan Africa.
"There is a willingness to invest, especially in critical minerals," Scholz told reporters at a joint briefing with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in the capital Abuja.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaking at the German-NigerianBusinees Conference in Lagos about how we can deepen cooperation in areas such as energy, climate and renewables such as hydrogen. @GERinNigeria @AhkNigeria @GermanyInAfrica pic.twitter.com/N1gJS2H1Py
— Annett Günther, German Ambassador to Nigeria (@AnnettInes) October 30, 2023
Boosting energy cooperation
On gas, Scholz welcomed Nigeria's efforts to expand its LNG capacity.
"If we are successful, if there is a better chance of exporting the produced gas ... it is then the question for German companies to do their private business," said Scholz.
Tinubu said he had "a very deep discussion" on the issue of gas and encouraged German businesses to invest in pipelines in Nigeria.
Today marked a significant step forward in Nigeria-Germany relations with the visit of Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany @Bundeskanzler reinforcing our shared commitment to mutual growth and prosperity.
— Bola Ahmed Tinubu (@officialABAT) October 29, 2023
During our bilateral discussions, we exchanged views on pressing global… pic.twitter.com/HEAScYEyAw
Nigeria is also seeking to woo investors to its mining sector, which has long been underdeveloped, contributing less than one precent to the country's gross domestic product.
Scholz added there was also a willingness from German companies to build railways in Nigeria, without giving details.
That sector is currently dominated by Chinese companies, which have won contracts to expand rail lines in Africa's biggest economy.
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Migration issues and potential visas
Olaf Scholz also visited a German-Nigerian migration centre.
He discussed the difficult issue of the repatriation of rejected asylum seekers to Africa.
He pursued his trip by travelling to Ghana, considered the most stable democracy in West Africa, and a safe business location according to Burkhardt Hellemann, the head of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Ghana.
He there said he was willing to open up possibilities to welcome qualified workforce that Germany needs, in the IT sector for instance, when Ghana has good professionals.
New ties for new times
Berlin has traditionally had little involvement in this energy-rich region, but this is Scholz's third visit to the country in two years and comes as multiple conflicts worldwide highlight the growing importance of energy.
Scholz also planned to discuss regional security and global issues.
While in Nigeria, the chancellor met the president of the commission of West African regional group ECOWAS and said it was necessary to work with the bloc "to prevent that putsches will become a trend" following recent military coups in Niger and Gabon.
The Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany H.E. Olaf Scholz visits the ECOWAS Commission...https://t.co/tlPrRrpEbH pic.twitter.com/Jl2iCFXnx8
— Ecowas - Cedeao (@ecowas_cedeao) October 29, 2023
While Scholz is in West Africa, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is heading to East Africa, with a first stop in Tanzania, which was part of German East Africa from 1885 to 1918.
He's to meet with President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who expressed his interest in pragmatic and more business-friendly relations.
(with news agencies)
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