German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit Nigeria in October as part of efforts to enhance commercial connections between the two countries.
Presidential aide Ajuri Ngelale said this in a statement he issued on Sunday evening. According to him, the decision was reached on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting in New Delhi, India, where President Bola Tinubu and the German leader met.
“Thank you for this important discussion, Mr. President. I appreciate this opportunity to advance our economic relations. Your market is unique and our companies have a history in Nigeria,” Scholz was quoted as saying after Tinubu expressed his desire to expand the partnership between the countries.
“We acknowledge the business-friendly reforms you have put in place. I am happy to inform you of my desire to visit you in Nigeria in October, which will allow us to carry forward these initiatives.”
On his part, President Tinubu said: “It is not, for us, only a matter of designing the financial architecture for an expanded economic partnership.
“It is also about the practicality of aligning the perspectives of your large-scale manufacturers, such as Volkswagen and others, with the reality of the new incentives my government is putting in place for them to come and prosper across multiple value chains and sectors inside of our country.”
After meeting the German leader, Tinubu also held talks with his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol who commended the President’s regional leadership.
“I wish to commend your strong leadership, following the peaceful transfer of power to you from your predecessor and we see a stable country in West Africa that is growing in stature,” he said.
Tinubu therefore sought more of the Asian country’s presence in Nigeria especially in the local manufacturing sector.
“We will leave nothing hanging. We will finalise what we agree to and we will execute. We will work point by point with you to secure rapidly implementable MoUs across sectors of partnership that will involve the active presence of your biggest firms, not just in terms of Nigerian consumption, but in local Nigerian production, from telecommunications to technology, and oil & gas,” Tinubu added.
Tinubu also met with other leaders during the G-20 meeting.