Nigeria, Germany strengthen ties on labour migration, skills development

By Ukpono Ukpong

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Germany in the areas of legal labour migration and vocational skills development to enhance economic growth and job creation in Nigeria.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the IHK Giessen-Friedberg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Germany, at his office in Abuja.

The visit, facilitated by former Minister of Information and Culture, which is currently the Managing Partner of Bruit Costaud, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, aimed at fostering collaboration on streamlining legal migration and advancing Nigeria’s vocational training system to boost employment opportunities.

Leading the German delegation, the President of IHK Giessen-Friedberg, Dr. Mathias Leder, emphasized the importance of structured vocational training as a critical tool for equipping Nigerian youths with industry-relevant skills.

In his address, Dingyadi affirmed the government’s readiness to collaborate with the Chamber to ensure safe and legal migration while maximizing the mutual benefits for both countries.

He reiterated Federal Government’s continued commitment to ensuring that the migration of Nigerians to other countries is done legally, not only for the economic benefits, but also for the well-being and safety of the migrants.

Addressing the delegation, Dingyadi explained that the Federal Government would always encourage legal migration, to ensure the safety of the migrants, and for the benefit of the two countries involved.

The Minister assured the delegation of the willingness of the Federal Government to partner with them to achieve common goals and promote mutual interests of Nigeria and Germany.

Dingyadi said: “We thank you very much for creating time to come and share with us the opportunities that abound in your chamber. I must tell you that the two subject matters that you’re highlighting here – labour migration and vocational skills development – are part of the core mandate of this ministry.

“Even though you are here on a courtesy, we will create time for interaction between our officials in the ministry and your delegation to see how we can mutually benefit from these opportunities that abound.

“This vocational training in particular is part of the core mandate of the Ministry, seeking to create jobs for the teeming population of our country. Some of the people trained who migrate to other countries will eventually come back to train our people, and we are going to benefit a lot from this kind of relationship.”

The Minister stated that with the support of organisations like the IHK Giessen-Friedberg Chamber, the Federal Government would easily achieve its goals of ensuring that the teeming jobless youths would become self-employed through vocational training.

“So, as a government, we are going to do whatever is possible to encourage this kind of relationship so that our two countries will benefit from the fruit of these interactions. So, our doors are open,” he said.

Earlier, Mohammed had introduced the delegation from the IHK Giessen-Friedberg Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Germany, noting that the institution had consistently demonstrated its commitment to strengthening economic cooperation between Germany and Nigeria.

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According to Mohammed, in 2012, the IHK Giessen-Friedberg initiated the implementation of the Dual Vocational Education Project, a partnership aimed at transferring key elements of German’s renowned dual vocational training system to Nigeria.

He said the project was successfully executed in collaboration with five Nigerian partners, including the Abuja, Ogun, and Lagos Chambers of Commerce, thereby providing a structured approach to vocational education and skills development in the country.

Mohammed noted that Germany’s dual vocational training model, which integrates theoretical learning with practical experience, would serve as an excellent blueprint for Nigeria to upskill her workforce and equip her youths with industry-relevant technical and vocational skills that can enhance their employability, boost productivity, and reduce the strain on the labour market.

Leder, who corroborated all the information given by the facilitator, Lai Mohammed, emphasized the significance of language skills for migrants in Germany, as it enables them to better understand and integrate into German culture.

He further revealed that a remarkable 98% of apprentices who undergo the free dual vocational training successfully, easily get job offers.