German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is concerned by the number of coups in Africa, but hopes that this does not become a pattern.
He made the remark at a closed-door meeting with the President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Omar Touray, at the bloc’s headquarters in Abuja on Sunday.
There have been coups on the continent recently, with the German Chancellor saying the tendency should be stopped.
His visit, he says, is intended to enhance ties and cooperate with Nigeria. He pledged Germany’s sustained support for infrastructure development in both countries.
He also expressed concern about the continuous assaults in Israel and wants the restrictions relaxed so that victims can receive humanitarian relief.
The German leader also called for the release of hostages kept by Hamas and stated that his country would provide all necessary support to Israel to defend its country.
On his part, ECOWAS President Touray says the pledge of 81 million euros by the German government for energy transmission, and social development, amongst others for the region has yielded profit.
He further stated that the challenges in the region such as insecurity, social development, and how to strengthen ties to tackle them took the lead in their conversation.
Also, he disclosed that on the 17th of November 2023, ECOWAS will inaugurate an independent power plant in Cotonou, Benin Republic. He says it will enable Africans to trade electricity supply in a formalised manner and purchase power at cheaper sources.
But he lamented that inter-community trade remains very low and the infrastructural gap widening. He says discussions are in top gear to reverse the trend.