By Miracle Ogunde
German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz has revealed steps being taken by the authorities in Germany towards speeding up visa processing for Nigerians.
Speaking during an exclusive interview with newsmen during his first official visit to Nigeria, the German Chancellor explained that the country is working towards making visa procedures fast, predictable and user-friendly for applicants.
According to Scholz “It is one of our priorities to speed visa procedures up. We have developed a digital tool that allows for online visa applications and we are doing a lot to make the visa procedure as fast, predictable and user-friendly as possible.
“For work visas, waiting times are down to two to three weeks already! At the same time, we have to keep security aspects in mind and have to check every application separately. Sometimes applications are not complete or they may be incorrect, which may lead to delays in the process,” he said.
When asked about the purpose of his visit to Nigeria, the German Chancellor explained that his country intends to partner with Nigeria politically and economically.
“Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and biggest economy, and it is a key partner for us in Africa, politically and economically. This is my first visit to Nigeria and I am eager to discover the country and strengthen and deepen our partnership with regard to economic cooperation, investments, global issues, migration and security.”
Talking about the areas in which Germany will invest in Nigeria, Scholz highlighted some key sectors saying “As the two biggest economies in Africa and Europe respectively, there is potential for much more cooperation and investment. This applies to a variety of sectors, ranging from infrastructure and energy to agriculture business, mineral resources, information and communication technologies, transport and logistics, and beyond.”
He also gave the total value of Germany’s investments in the country as €150m in 2021.
The German Chancellor further highlighted ways in which Nigeria can be a major gas supplier to Germany.
“Nigeria has the biggest gas supply in Africa. German companies are interested in gas deliveries from Nigeria and look forward to cooperation with Nigerian gas companies. In the future, hydrogen will play an important role and we welcome joint initiatives to ramp up the hydrogen market,” he said.
He added that “Germany has a considerable demand for natural gas and, going forward, hydrogen to fuel its economy and energy transition. Concrete amounts should be agreed on in negotiations between Nigerian gas producers and German gas traders.”
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