German Ambassador to Nigeria, Annett Günther, has said Nigeria is a strong partner in preserving the international rules based order, based on international law and the United Nations Charter, saying Nigeria is a strategic partner for Germany in Africa.
Speaking during the 34th German Day of Unity in Abuja, Günther said Nigeria is a strong partner for Germany and the friendship between both countries dates back more than 60 years and has grown ever since.
The German envoy recalled that in the outgoing year, Nigeria and Germany celebrated the 50th anniversary of the official development cooperation.
She stated that the implementing partners GIZ, KfW Development Bank and others, have done a tremendous job all those years and there are signs of the cooperation all over Nigeria.
“GIZ has become a household name for our joint endeavours to support Nigeria in its development in all spheres, be it skills development, be it sustainable agricultural production, be it in the area of energy production or in the health sector. My sincere thanks go out to all colleagues from GIZ and their partners for this change-making cooperation.
“Last year’s visit of Chancellor Scholz to Nigeria and President Tinubu’s visit to Germany were indicative of our close relations and an indication of our desire to lift our partnership to the next level in the face of the manifold global challenges. The two biggest economies and most populous countries on their respective continents want to join forces and come closer together and adjust their partnership to new opportunities. Nigeria is a strong partner in preserving the international rules based order, based on international law and the UN Charter, and a strategic partner for Germany in Africa. We are glad to see that Nigeria is playing a leading role within ECOWAS. Here, on a regional level, we agree again, without peace and stability, there is no prosperity not in the region or anywhere,” Günther said.
Günther assured that Germany will therefore continue its strong cooperation programme with Nigeria.
“We will continue our engagement in the police reform and deepen cooperation in the security sector. We also endeavour to strengthen our economic and trade relations further, work on climate issues, energy transition, renewables and future sources of energy such as hydrogen.
“As part of the strong Team Europe in Nigeria, our cooperation goes beyond the above and we will continue to lend our support and amplify its effects also through the tremendous engagement of the European Family in Nigeria,” Günther stated.
Earlier, Günther said since the fall of the Berlin wall 35 years ago, a wind of change swept through Europe.
She stated that hundreds of thousands of East-Germans who demonstrated peacefully all over the country and faced down their oppressive government, brought about the reunification.
“All of this, of course, would not have been possible without the support of our international partners. I therefore would like to thank them for the great and historical support that you lent us during those tumultuous times.
“While our constitution of 1949 always foresaw the unity of both German States, it took more than 40 years for it to be achieved.
“This year we also proudly celebrate the 75th birthday of our constitution.
“Germany’s way to unity, rule of law and liberty (lines from our national anthem, written in 1841) was a long one, not a straight one, with detours and terrible deviations. Still today, we cannot take these lines for granted in the face of growing antagonism, growing racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, where at the same time, economic challenges, inflation, climate change, loss of biodiversity frighten people and threaten their existence.
“More frightening though is the return of war to Europe where Ukraine, a sovereign state is still under attack, its people are still being killed, and infrastructure destroyed every day.
“Conflicts in other parts of the world teach us that we must stand strong together and defend peace and our democratic values and the rules based international order,” Günther also said.
