German foreign minister seeks wider business ties with Nigeria

Germany's foreign minister ended a two-day visit to Nigeria as Berlin sought deeper business links in Africa amid pressure involving the United States, China and Russia.

Johann Wadephul called for stronger trade and investment ties at a meeting with Nigerian counterpart Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu in Abuja, after spending Tuesday in Lagos. He said the potential of Germany's economic partnership with Nigeria was not fully used, especially in information technology and the start-up sector. He said bilateral trade grew by around 10 percent last year and named critical raw materials, renewable energy and pharmaceuticals as areas for possible growth.

The visit came as diplomatic and trade tensions continued between the United States and Europe, while Europe's economy faced pressure from what it calls unfair Chinese trade practices and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine continued. The report also noted that China and Russia have built economic and security ties in Africa.

Claudia Roth, a Green party member of parliament travelling with Wadephul, said Germany and Europe needed new partners and stronger partnerships across Africa. She said Germany was not approaching African countries to lecture them, but to learn from them.

Wadephul also praised Nigeria for standing on the front line against terrorism and violent extremism. Nigeria has faced a jihadist insurgency concentrated in its northeast since 2009. Wadephul warned of possible spillover from separate insurgencies in the neighbouring Sahel and promised continued security and humanitarian cooperation.

That pledge comes as Germany's foreign aid budget has been repeatedly cut and as Western foreign assistance has declined in recent years. Roth said humanitarian aid would remain on the agenda, citing Mauritania, where the German delegation stopped on Monday, and hundreds of thousands of refugees arriving from Mali because of insecurity in the Sahel.

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has carried out reforms including liberalising the naira exchange rate, overhauling the tax code and removing a costly fuel subsidy. The report said economists and investors had welcomed the measures, but that the reforms had caused severe short-term inflation and domestic frustration. Wadephul's three-country Africa tour is due to end in South Africa on Thursday.