Akpabio asks Germany to turn six decades of friendship into factories and jobs

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has asked Germany to move its six-decade relationship with Nigeria beyond goodwill and into factories, investment and jobs, telling a visiting German parliamentary delegation in Abuja on Thursday that the friendship should now pay practical dividends.

He received the Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development of the German Bundestag, led by Professor Wolfgang Stefinger, in his office. In an address he titled "Let Friendship Become Factories", Akpabio said the task now is to turn trust into investment and cooperation into employment.

"No economy can industrialise at the mercy of unreliable electricity," he said, calling for faster delivery of the Presidential Power Initiative with Siemens, alongside investment in renewable energy, natural gas and infrastructure.

What Nigeria is asking for

Akpabio listed manufacturing, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, technology and infrastructure as priority areas. He said Nigeria wants German small and medium-sized businesses to invest alongside Nigerian firms, and asked both sides to tackle costly financing, export-credit premiums and regulatory hurdles that keep investors apart.

On skills, he urged links between Nigerian institutions and German technical colleges and employers, especially in engineering, digital technology, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship. He also sought closer security cooperation in training, intelligence, counterterrorism, border security and maritime protection, with respect for human rights.

On migration, he called for more safe and lawful pathways, recognition of professional qualifications and stronger action against human trafficking, while insisting that returns and reintegration respect due process and human dignity.

At a separate meeting, ministers made similar pitches. Budget and Economic Planning Minister Abubakar Bagudu said peace, security and democratic governance are needed for lasting economic progress. The Minister of State for Industry, John Enoh, said Nigeria is diversifying through manufacturing, digital innovation and the creative economy, and thanked Germany's development agency GIZ for skills support.

The Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Doris Uzoka-Anite, proposed financing arrangements modelled on Germany's KfW development bank framework. Agriculture Minister Abubakar Kyari asked for cooperation to raise domestic food production, expand irrigation, cut post-harvest losses and support smallholder farmers, women and young people.

Stefinger, speaking for the German delegation, thanked Nigeria for its hospitality and named sustainable economic development, vocational training, security, renewable energy and healthcare infrastructure as areas for cooperation.

What happens next

No funding amount, financing deal or signed agreement was announced at either meeting. Akpabio proposed a structured Nigeria-Germany Parliamentary Dialogue, with committee exchanges and designated contacts to monitor agreed actions, and set out five priorities including faster electricity cooperation and improved access to investment finance.

For ordinary Nigerians, the test will be whether the talks translate into steadier power, factory jobs and cheaper food — outcomes the sources say were discussed but not yet delivered.