The Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, Yusuf Tuggar has said that the visit of the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, to Nigeria would focus on security and strengthening economic ties between both countries.
President Muhammadu Buhari will on Friday play host to the German leader, two days after the visit of the British Prime Minister Theresa May.
Ambassador Tugga, while briefing journalists yesterday in Abuja, said chancellor Merkel would be coming with business delegation to explore investment opportunities in Nigeria.
“She is coming with business delegation which is very important. We have strong economic relation with Germany over the years,” he said.
But one of the major challenges in recent times has been how to attract German medium size businesses to invest in Nigeria, the envoy noted.
“The backbone of German economy is essentially made up of medium size, family owned businesses. There are quite concerned about how to de-risk their investments. This sort of step requires cooperation and support by both governments to facilitate the investment and minimise risk.”
Ambassador Tugga further disclosed that security issue, particularly in north east would also feature in the discussion between the two leaders.
He said the Oslo II conference which aims to raise fund to address the humanitarian crisis in the north east would take place in Germany in September.
Germany, he said, had been a very significant Nigeria’s partner and “there is still a lot we can do with Germany.”
“They are leaders in terms of vocational training. They have got a dual education system where you have the academic as well as the practical training side by side. And this is what we need at this juncture in our journey as a country,” the envoy added.
