President Bola Tinubu welcomed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday morning.
Steinmier who arrived in Abuja on Tuesday evening met the President at the Forecourt of the Villa at about 11:06 am (local time) on Wednesday.
He is accompanied by a business delegation of CEOs and high-ranking board members of some of Germany’s most successful companies in the fields of IT, high-tech and energy.
Upon his arrival, the German leader was greeted with his country’s anthem and the Nigerian anthem, followed by an inspection of the Guard of Honour mounted by the Presidential Brigade of Guards.
After the 21-gun salute, Tinubu led Steinmeier into his office for closed-door talks.
In a statement on Monday, the German Embassy said Steinmeier will meet with Tinubu as well as with the President of the Commission of Economic Community of West African States, Dr. Alieu Touray.
He will then proceed to Lagos, where he will engage with business representatives, visit a start-up hub and meet with members of Nigeria’s cultural sector and civil society, like Dr Nike Okundaye and Prof Wole Soyinka.
There will also be an opportunity to tour the city of Lagos and gain insights into the urban development of a megacity, including environmental and social challenges,” the statement read.
Steinmeier is the second German leader to visit Nigeria in 14 months and the third European leader to visit the West African state since the Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2022.
German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, visited the country on October 29, 2023, for his two-day working visit where he met business leaders in Lagos a day after.
On Scholz’s invitation, Tinubu attended the G20 ‘Compact with Africa Economic Conference’ last year’s November.
Wednesday’s meeting continues over six decades of diplomatic relations between the two countries, sustained by high-level visits dating back to 1978 when then-Chancellor Helmut Schmidt visited Nigeria.
In November 2008, former President Umaru Yar’Adua received German President Horst Koehler in Abuja.
Also, the immediate past Chancellor, Angela Merkel, was the first head of state outside Africa to visit Nigeria after Goodluck Jonathan’s election in 2011.
She returned in August 2018 for talks with his successor, President Buhari.
In 2016, then-President Christian Wulff’s visit to Nigeria led to the signing of several agreements in areas such as energy, trade and culture.
However, the visits have not been one-sided.
Nigerian leaders have also appeared in Germany.
In November 2003, then-President Olusegun Obasanjo visited the European giant.
President Jonathan also visited Germany for a three-day working visit in April 2012.
In his first trip to a non-Africa state, President Buhari attended the 41st G7 summit in Elmau.
Within that period, the two nations have engaged in several bilateral agreements and collaborations, especially in energy and power.
Of prominence was the 2019 deal President Buhari signed with German energy company Siemens to generate at least 25,000 megawatts of electricity for Nigeria’s electric grid by 2025.
Nigeria has also leveraged Germany’s expertise in renewable energy, especially solar and wind energy, benefiting from technology transfer and capacity building.
In 2022, Nigeria exported €1.9bn euros of oil to Germany, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.
Germany also exported goods to Nigeria, which was valued at €1.1bn euros, with machinery and electronic components being the highest imports.
Tinubu and Steinmeier are expected to brief the press after the closed-door talks.
(PUNCH)