The Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria in collaboration with AfrikaVerein der deutschen Wirtschaft (AV) and the Nigerian German Chamber of Commerce (NGCC) organized the 9th German -Nigerian Business Forum from 9 – 11 November 2021. The event held physically at Orchid and Lantana Halls, Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island Lagos and virtually on Brella.

The hybrid business forum welcomed over 400 attendees onsite and online across the 3 days. The event which comprised presentations, panel discussions, keynote addresses and an exhibition foyer focused on discussing the opportunities and challenges in various sectors covering over 12 key panel discussions with over 95 speakers.

The Business Forum was officially opened with a beautiful rendition of the German and Nigerian National Anthems and an official opening remarking by the event organizers – Katharina Felgenhauer, Delegate of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria, Prof. Dr Stefan Liebing, Chairman, Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft (AV) and Igbuan Okaisabor, President of the Nigerian German Chamber of Commerce (NGCC). Goodwill messages from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and DIHK were delivered by the State Secretary Dr. Ulrich Nussbaum and Dr. Volker Treier, Head of Foreign Trade and Member of the Executive Board of DIHK respectively. The official welcome remarks included a joint message by H.E. Birgitt Ory, German Ambassador to Nigeria and Dr. Bernd von Münchow-Pohl, Acting Consul General as well as message from H.E. Amb. Yusuf Tuggar represented by Abubakar Jidda, Minister for Economy and Commerce of Nigerian Embassy in Berlin.

keynotes addresses to emphasize the relevance of the gathering of German and Nigerian government and business representatives and the opportunities for collaboration & investment on day one were delivered by: Herbert Wigwe, GMD & CEO, Access Bank Group represented by Ralph Opara, Group Head Commercial Banking, H.E Babjide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, represented by Solape Hammond, Special Adviser on SDG and Investment in Lagos State, Seun Suleiman, Managing Director, Siemens Energy Limited and Dr. Stefan KaufmannMP, Innovation Commissioner for Green Hydrogen, Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Berlin.

Key sectors for collaboration between German and Nigerian businesses were discussed in the panel sessions on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): Accelerating Intra-African Trade, Climate Smart Agriculture as a means of tackling Food and Nutrition Insecurity in Nigeria, Resolving the Sustainability-Economic Development Paradox in a post-COVID Africa and Kickstarting a Hydrogen Economy in Nigeria – Challenges and Opportunities by several high-level speakers.

A presentation by Africa Business Network on support available for German companies to enter the African Markets was delivered by Oscar Ikome – Likambi.

Day 2 of the event opened with two welcome addresses by board member of the NGCC and CEO of Heckerbella, Yemi Keri, and by Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) of Nigeria ably represented by Andrew Adejo, Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). A Keynote address on how German Engineering can enhance industry growth in Nigeria was delivered by Dr. Nobert Völker, the head of Education International, VDMA.

Engr. (Mrs.) Aramide Adeyoye, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Government on Works and Infrastructure, Gabriel Ukpeh, Special Adviser to Akwa Ibom State Governor on Foreign Direct Investment and Hon (Engr) Elvis Obi-Nwankwo, Special Adviser to the Executive Governor of Enugu State on Innovation Science and Technology also delivered keynote addresses and presentations to showcase Investment opportunities in their respective states.

To continue conversations on the need for collaboration between German and Nigerian companies to drive economic growth and increase Foreign Direct Investment, the following panel session were discussed:

• The role of technology in ensuring integrity in business
• Role of the private sector in improving Nigeria’s infrastructure gap and housing deficit
• Future of the Start-up ecosystems in Africa
• Digital Transformation of Nigeria’s Banking Industry: Opportunities for Investment
• Financing and Investing in the Nigerian Healthcare System

Day 3 of the event marked the official unveiling of EDUCATA Nigeria – an International Education Exhibition & Idea Factory which will replace the Dual Vocational Training Business Summit. The Dual Vocational Training Business Summit has been organized in Nigeria since2019 and will now transform into "Educata Nigeria" to increase its impact Nigeria's education system. In collaboration with the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana, the event will alternate annually between Nigeria and Ghana and will provide a platform to discuss the improvement of technical vocational educational and training in various sectors across borders and address the key areas to improve the education system in West Africa.

The opening address was given by Katharina Felgenhauer, Delegate of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria and Steffen Gunnar Bayer, Director German Vocational Education and Training (VET) abroad/International VET-Cooperation’s, DIHK. An opening remark on the importance of TVET and the opportunities it presents was given by Klaus Okunowski, Managing Director, C.Woermann Nigerian Limited and Chairman of BerufbildungsGremium (BBG) in Nigeria while also urging the private/public sector to invest in vocational training for Youth empowerment and employment.

Several keynote addresses on the importance of TVET in Nigeria’s educational system and how to close the skills gap in various sectors was given by H.E Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, Minister for Works and Housing, Hon. Folashade Adefisayo, Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Engr. Olalere Odusote, Lagos State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources and Farouk Gumel, Group Executive Director, Tropical General Investment (TGI)Group and Non-Executive Chairman, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).

The panel sessions discussed and moderated by experts and key players in different sectors addressed the following topics:

• Sustainable Agriculture as a pillar for economic development
• The impact of skills development on the sustainability of the Nigerian construction Industry?
• Vocational Skills for a Green Economy
• Importance of private sector engagement in the Nigerian Vocational Training Sector

Keynote presentations on “Value-Adds by German Trained Nigerian Experts” and “German-Nigerian Cooperation on Vocational Training in Nigeria” were delivered by Austin Ezejiofor, Phd. Team Leader, Programme Migration & Diaspora PMD and Tobias Wolfgarten, Team Leader, Skills Development for Youth Employment (SKYE) respectively. Fireside chats were also had at the forum.

To view the session reocrdings, please go to out Youtube page on https://bit.ly/9GNBFYouTube

For more enquiries, please contact Yolanda Oghumah on oghumah@lagos-ahk.de or +234 8151022503.