A delegation from the IHK Giessen-Friedberg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Germany, led by Dr. Matthias Leder, is scheduled to arrive in Nigeria on November 2 for a two-week consultation aimed at strengthening economic and industrial cooperation between both countries.
The delegation, which will remain in Nigeria until November 14, is expected to engage in high-level discussions with six federal ministers, representatives of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), and other key players from both the public and private sectors.
The visit follows a similar mission in February during which the German team held talks with senior government officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, and stakeholders from the business community.
Speaking during a virtual press conference on Thursday, Dr. Leder said that over the past two years, IHK Giessen-Friedberg had undertaken two official missions to Nigeria annually. He noted that Nigeria’s former Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had twice participated in the chamber’s flagship international B2B conference, The World Meets in Giessen—first as a keynote speaker and later as a panelist.
According to Leder, these engagements have strengthened bilateral understanding and created fresh opportunities for trade, investment, and skills development. He said the upcoming mission aims to consolidate previous gains and expand collaboration across new sectors.
The delegation is scheduled to meet with the Ministers of Labour and Employment; Youth Development; Education; Foreign Affairs; Budget and Economic Planning; and Industry, Trade and Investment.
Leder recalled that between 2012 and 2018, the Vocational Training Partnership Project (BBP), supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), was implemented in partnership with Nigerian business institutions in Abeokuta, Abuja, and Lagos. The programme focused on industrial mechanics, industrial electronics, technical facility management, and office administration.
He said the initiative directly benefited over 600 individuals—310 trainers and 290 trainees—while introducing Nigeria to the dual vocational training (DVT) system, which combines classroom learning with practical industry experience.
Leder also highlighted the Chamber Partnership Project (KVP), which ran from 2012 to 2018 and was renewed in 2023, aimed at empowering Nigerian chambers of commerce to better support private sector growth through institutional capacity building and international exchange programmes.
Through trade missions and participation in global events such as The World Meets in Giessen and the German-African Business Summit (GABS), Leder said Nigerian business chambers are now more integrated into global value chains.
Acknowledging Germany’s shortage of skilled workers in the hospitality sector, Leder announced a new bilateral initiative to provide dual vocational training opportunities for young Nigerians aged 21 to 27.
The project, jointly implemented by IHK Giessen-Friedberg, the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria (AHK Nigeria), the Goethe-Institut, and the GIZ Centre for Migration and Development (ZME), has the support of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
According to Leder, the programme will begin with the selection of 18 candidates who will undergo intensive German language and cultural orientation training before being placed in certified training programmes in Germany.
He added that the initiative is designed to promote legal migration, warning that irregular migration remains risky, costly, and unsustainable.
