By Adamu Yusuf
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has called for a stronger partnership between Nigeria and the Federal Republic of Germany.
Akpabio made the call in Abuja on Thursday while receiving in audience in his office a delegation of a Parliamentary Committee from Germany.
The Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development of the German Bundestag (Parliament) was led by Professor Wolfgang Stefinger.
In his address titled: “Let Friendship Become Factories,” Akpabio said Nigeria and Germany had spent more than six decades building friendship and mutual trust stressing that the challenge was to turn that friendship into factories, that trust into investment, and that cooperation into jobs.
He said that the visit affirmed a shared conviction that friendship between Nigeria and Germany should continue to deliver practical benefits to the people of both countries.
Akpabio said: “Today, our responsibility is to translate that foundation into greater opportunities, stronger institutions and shared prosperity for our peoples.
“As we meet and share experience, let us have a stronger partnership in the areas of electricity that powers businesses, the skills that secure our livelihoods, and the jobs that sustain families.
“As parliamentarians, we have a special responsibility. The government negotiates partnerships; parliaments help give them continuity, accountability and lasting value. Through legislation, oversight and budgetary decisions, we help turn commitments into results.”
The Senate President proposed a structured Nigeria–Germany Parliamentary Dialogue, supported by committee exchanges and designated contacts to sustain engagement beyond this visit.
Akpabio remarked further that “our economic ambition is clear. We seek to expand production, strengthen industry and create productive employment for our people.”
The Senate President said Nigeria welcomed greater German investment in manufacturing, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, technology and infrastructure and sought partnerships that build local capacity, transfer technology and connect Nigerian enterprises to wider markets.
Akpabio said Nigeria sought not merely to trade more with Germany, but to produce more with Germany.
To achieve this, he said, “we must address the obstacles that keep willing investors apart: costly financing, export-credit premiums and avoidable regulatory barriers.
“German small and medium-sized enterprises should find credible opportunities to invest alongside Nigerian businesses.
“Energy is central to this ambition. No economy can industrialise at the mercy of unreliable electricity. Every factory needs power; every small business needs certainty.
“We value the Presidential Power Initiative with Siemens and seek accelerated delivery of its objectives, alongside investment in renewable energy, natural gas and sustainable infrastructure.
“For us, improved electricity supply means more than additional capacity. It means longer productive hours, lower business costs and greater confidence to invest.
“Equally important is the potential of our young people. Germany’s experience in technical education, apprenticeships and industry-linked training offers a valuable foundation for cooperation.
“Let us connect Nigerian institutions with German technical colleges, industries and employers, particularly in engineering, digital technology, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship.
“The most enduring investment in our partnership will be the skills we place in the hands of the next generation. These opportunities require peace and security.
“We appreciate Germany’s security cooperation and seek stronger collaboration in training, intelligence, surveillance, counterterrorism, border security and maritime protection, with respect for human rights.
“A secure Nigeria strengthens stability across West Africa and the Sahel, protects commerce and advances our shared interests. Our development cooperation must likewise produce sustainable enterprises, productive jobs and measurable improvements in people’s lives.
“On migration, let us expand safe and lawful pathways, support recognition of qualifications and combat trafficking, while ensuring that returns and reintegration respect due process and human dignity. Our diaspora and our cultural ties remain valuable bridges between our peoples,” he said.
Akpabio suggested that the visit should have as its outcome five practical priorities including a sustained parliamentary dialogue, accelerated electricity and renewable-energy cooperation, a skills and innovation partnership, improved access to investment and development finance, and designated parliamentary contacts to follow through on agreed actions.
Editing by Khadija Kubau
