German Chancellor visits Nigeria, expresses readiness to invest in gas, rail sector

The ties between Nigeria and Germany are on the verge of getting a massive facelift as the head of the European country expresses readiness to invest in gas and critical minerals in the West African country. The German Chancellor, who is in Nigeria on his two nation tour, said his country would also expand its investment in rail and other sectors. Kamil Sodiq has more from Nigeria…

The German government has expressed its intention to invest in gas and critical minerals in Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, as part of efforts to strengthen relations between the two countries.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said this in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, as he commenced a two-nation visit to sub-Saharan Africa.

The head of the European country is visiting the region for the third time in two years.

The visit is coming at a time when conflicts elsewhere highlight the growing importance of an energy-rich region in which Berlin had less influence.

At a joint briefing with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in the capital Abuja, Mr. Scholz welcomed Nigeria’s efforts to expand its liquefied natural gas capacity.

Scholz further stressed that German companies are also ready to develop railways in Nigeria.The sector is currently dominated by Chinese firms, having won contracts to expand train lines in Africa’s largest economy.

On his part, the Nigerian leader said he had “a very deep discussion” on the issue of gas and encouraged German businesses to invest in pipelines in Nigeria.

After the meeting, the German Chancellor also spoke with the head of the West African regional body ECOWAS, saying it was important to work with the bloc to prevent coups from becoming a trend in light of recent military take over in Niger and Gabon.