The Chamber of Industry and Commerce, IHK, Giessen-Friedberg, Germany on Thursday reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to strengthening vocational training, institutional development, and private sector cooperation with Nigeria.
This follows two decades of sustained partnership between the German Chamber of Commerce and key Nigerian institutions in promoting youth skills development, entrepreneurship, and international business collaboration.
Speaking at a virtual press briefing on Thursday, Dr. Matthias Leder, the Chief Executive Officer,
CEO, of the chamber, said the enduring relationship has grown significantly in recent years.
He noted that the engagements have deepened the mutual understanding between both nations and opened new avenues for investment, trade, and skills transfer.
He said that the current visit of the German team to Nigeria aims to consolidate the gains achieved so far and explore opportunities for scaling up the partnership—both in scale and in scope.
The German team is scheduled to meet with Nigeria’s Ministers of Labour and Employment; Youth Development; Education; Foreign Affairs; Budget and Economic Planning; and Industry, Trade and Investment.
A former Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who was the keynote speaker in 2024 on “The Event Industry as an Emerging Sector in Nigeria,” will again participate as a panelist in 2025 as both sides work to consolidate gains and expand opportunities.
Speaking further, Leder noted that the Nigerian chambers face a major task in the actual institutional setting, adding that “If they wanted to offer DVT like German chambers do, they would have to find companies which were willing and qualified to train young students.
“Then they would have to organize the exams and ensure comparable quality standards. So far, the Nigerian companies do not pay for these services voluntarily.
“Thus, these services now are not supplied, because they are perceived as public goods.
“To provide for DVT in a sustainable way and to supply DVT over significant parts of Nigeria, Nigerian Chambers need some institutional enrichment.
“This institutional enrichment could be some kind of entrusting the Chambers to supply some services in the area of DVT. In return, the Chambers would be given the right to levy a fee from every registered company.”
He highlighted the possible benefits of a revised chamber system to less unemployed people, especially the youth,
better skilled workers,
more taxes, more economic and social stability.
