The German Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development, Svenja Schulze, will visit Nigeria from 4^th to 7^th February 2024. She will be accompanied by the Parliamentary State Secretary, Dr. Bärbel Kofler. The visit aims to strengthen bilateral relations between Germany and the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the area of development cooperation. The German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development is responsible for planning and programming the guidelines and the fundamental concept on which German development policy is based. The ministry is also the main commissioning partner of the German development agency GIZ.

With diplomatic relations spanning over 60 years, Germany and Nigeria have a longstanding relationship. They are natural partners as both are the strongest economy and the most populous country on their respective continents. It is therefore crucial to address current global challenges together. Furthermore, Minister Svenja Schulze will be travelling in her capacity as President of the Sahel Alliance. The Sahel Alliance is an international cooperation platform to provide more and better support for development initiatives in the Sahel region. The objective of the Sahel Alliance is, through more than 1300 different projects, to enhance the stability and global development of the region and to provide more effective support in the areas of youth employment, climate and energy, governance, decentralisation and basic services, food security and agriculture, and security.

The focus of the visit will lie on bilateral meetings with The Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite. Moreover, a meeting with the President of the Commission of the West African Economic Community ECOWAS, Dr. Alieu Omar Touray to discuss the situation of development cooperation in West Africa will be held and numerous project visits conducted.

The Parliamentary State Secretary, Dr. Bärbel Kofler, will continue to Lagos to visit projects at the University of Lagos and to hold discussions with the Lagos State Government on current challenges and possible cooperations.

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