Nigeria and Germany are exploring expanded cooperation in steel production, mineral processing, technology transfer and equipment manufacturing as the federal government seeks to attract investment and modern technology into the country’s steel sector.
The Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, disclosed this on Thursday when he received a delegation of German Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), led by Dr. Chux Onaa, Head of VDMA-German Original Equipment Manufacturers, at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Steel Development and signed by Ijomah E. Opia, ANIPR, ACIO, for the Head, Press and Public Relations, the meeting was aimed at building on previous engagements between Nigeria and Germany on industrial cooperation.
Audu said the delegation’s visit provided an opportunity to translate discussions held during the 9th German-African Economic Forum in Dortmund, Germany, earlier in the year into specific areas of collaboration and investment.
“The presence of the German delegation in Nigeria demonstrates the growing interest of German industries in the country’s industrial sector and presents an opportunity to build sustainable partnerships that will deliver tangible benefits to both nations,” the minister said.
He identified steel production, mineral processing, equipment manufacturing and supply, engineering services, capacity development and technology transfer as areas with potential for cooperation.
Audu also said Nigeria’s mineral and metallurgical resources, together with its expanding market, offered opportunities for industrial development.
He said the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Steel Development, was committed to creating an environment for a competitive and technology-driven steel industry that could support infrastructure development, manufacturing, job creation and economic diversification.
The minister said the ministry was interested in opportunities for German OEMs to participate in ongoing and emerging projects in Nigeria’s steel and metallurgical sectors.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Ambassador Nura Abba Rimi, said the engagement was in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Rimi said the creation of the Ministry of Steel Development reflected the administration’s intention to revitalise the steel sector and use it as a platform for Nigeria’s industrialisation.
Earlier, Onaa said the delegation was in Nigeria to consolidate areas of collaboration and investment in the development of the steel sector.
He added that German OEMs possessed technologies that could support raw-material processing in the cement and building-materials industries.
The meeting is expected to inform further discussions between Nigerian authorities and German manufacturers on specific investment and technical cooperation opportunities in the steel and metallurgical sectors.
