German Nigerian Business Day 2026: Cooperating for Development and Business Promotion
On 11 May 2026, representatives from government, business, and development organisations from Germany and Nigeria gathered in Abuja for the maiden "German Nigerian Business Day 2026". Held under the theme “Germany and Nigeria: Cooperating for Development and Business Promotion,” the event aimed to deepen bilateral economic cooperation, strengthen business (B2B) partnerships, and explore investment opportunities across key sectors including agribusiness, energy, digitization, healthcare, manufacturing, and infrastructure.
The Business Day provided a platform for German and Nigerian stakeholders to exchange ideas, identify opportunities for collaboration, and promote trade and investment that can drive job creation, skills development, and economic resilience in both countries. In addition, the Business Day provided a platform for German businesses in Nigeria to learn more about international cooperation instruments available to support companies doing business in Nigeria and across Africa.
Shared Economic Priorities
In her remarks, Stefanie Schmid-Lubbert, Head of Division, Sub-Saharan Africa at Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), highlighted the strong alignment between Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda and German private sector interest in investing in Nigeria. She noted that increased cooperation would support industrial growth, skills transfer, and long-term economic resilience. "This is where we see synergies because German companies are eager also to contribute to this Nigerian strategy of diversifying its economy," she said. "This will create jobs, this is how skills will be transferred, and this is how we can reinforce economic resilience in both countries," she added.
Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, emphasised the importance of private sector partnerships in achieving Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2030. He noted that sustainable transformation in sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and digital technology requires strong collaboration between government and private investors. "At the heart of Nigeria's transformational ambition is to build a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2030, and achieving this objective will require strong partnerships with the private sector, both domestic and international," he said.
A Longstanding Bilateral Partnership
Germany and Nigeria share over 65 years of diplomatic relations and more than five decades of development cooperation. Nigeria remains Germany’s second-largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa, with bilateral trade reaching approximately €3 billion in 2025. More than 80 German companies currently operate in Nigeria, contributing to industrial development, technology transfer, and employment creation.
Ultimately, the Business Day is expected to benefit both the Nigerian and German economies, businesses, and communities. Nigeria offers enormous opportunities across critical sectors, including energy, agriculture, manufacturing, digital innovation, and skills development, for German investment, technology transfer, industrial partnerships, and long-term collaboration.
Speaking on Germany’s approach to international cooperation, Philipp Knill, Director Africa at Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), outlined Germany’s “Whole of Government Approach” launched in 2025 to strengthen economic cooperation and private sector engagement with partner countries, including Nigeria. The approach focuses on improving dialogue with businesses, reducing structural barriers, and expanding support instruments that contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Sector Dialogues and Emerging Opportunities
The event featured six sector breakout sessions where participants discussed practical collaboration opportunities. Discussions focused on improving access to finance and value addition in agribusiness, advancing digital skills development, strengthening maritime infrastructure and vocational training, promoting healthcare technology transfer, enhancing local manufacturing value chains, and expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure and energy solutions. The discussions also highlighted the importance of skills development, innovation, and sustainable industrial growth as key drivers of future cooperation between both countries.
Stefanie Schmid-Lubbert noted that BMWE supports German enterprises interested in exploring African markets through business-to-business and business-to-government exchanges, workforce development initiatives, and market entry support. "We support trade and investment of German companies in Nigeria with our export credit guarantees and with our investment guarantees," she added.
Informing Future Cooperation
The outcomes of the Business Day are expected to inform the German Nigerian Government Negotiations on Development Cooperation for 2026 - 2027 and contribute to shaping future bilateral cooperation programmes. Participants included representatives from the German Embassy in Nigeria, BMZ, BMWE, the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), as well as public and private sector stakeholders from both countries.