At the Presidential Villa in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier are currently meeting behind closed doors.
Another significant event in the six-decade-old diplomatic ties between Germany and Nigeria is that Steinmeier is in Abuja on a state visit.
At at 11:06 a.m., Tinubu formally welcomed Steinmeier, who had arrived in Abuja on Tuesday evening, to the Villa’s forecourt.
The two nations’ national anthems were performed during a brief ceremony shortly after the reception, and then the Presidential Brigade of Guards inspected the Guard of Honour.
Following a 21-gun salute, Tinubu and Steinmeier went to the president’s office to have private talks.
A group of CEOs and senior executives from some of Germany’s leading IT and energy companies are part of the German leader’s visit.
Steinmeier is anticipated to meet with business representatives, tour a start-up area, and speak with notable cultural leaders including Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka and Dr. Nike Okundaye while in Nigeria.
He will also have the chance to learn more about Lagos’ urban development, which highlights social and environmental issues in one of Africa’s biggest megacities, during a planned trip there.
Steinmeier’s visit carries on Nigeria and Germany’s longstanding diplomatic relationship.
After Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s October 2023 visit, he is the second German leader to travel to Nigeria in 14 months. In November 2023, Tinubu accepted Scholz’s invitation to join the G20 Compact with Africa Economic Conference.
Numerous German presidents have visited Nigeria throughout the years, including Christian Wulff, Helmut Schmidt, and Angela Merkel, promoting trade, cultural, and energy deals.
Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria have also paid reciprocal state trips to Germany.
Following their private talks, Tinubu and Steinmeier are anticipated to speak to the media, with the results probably highlighting increased economic cooperation and shared interests in sustainable development.
