Lagos: Mr Daniel Krull, the newly appointed Consul General of Germany to Nigeria, has reaffirmed Berlin’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Africa’s largest economy.
Under his leadership, Germany is poised to expand its consular operations and deepen cooperation across key sectors, including trade, culture, and development.
Krull, who assumed office in August, spoke during a news conference on Monday at the German Consulate in Lagos.
He described Lagos as Nigeria’s economic hub, saying he felt prepared for his role, having previously served as Germany’s ambassador to Ghana.
Krull said that a priority is to strengthen people-to-people exchanges between the two nations.
He noted that improving visa services remained central to the consulate’s work and reforms were underway.
According to him, the consulate processes over 10,000 visas yearly, and visa counters will be doubled to fast-track applications.
He said external service providers would soon support specific visa categories, while a diploma verification system was being developed.
“We are trying to serve our Nigerian customers better in future,” he said.
Krull emphasised that boosting economic relations remained key, describing Nigeria as Germany’s largest trading partner in West Africa.
He said that more could be achieved through commercial cooperation between the two countries.
The envoy expressed optimism about attracting additional German IT companies seeking skilled talent from Nigeria’s expanding tech community.
He noted this could become a significant pillar of bilateral relations.
Krull revealed that a German film industry delegation was in Lagos for the African Film Festival, which began on Sunday.
He said the group included filmmakers, intellectual property experts, and equipment companies seeking collaborations with Nollywood.
“This visit marks the first outreach by German movie companies to Nigeria, and we hope for deeper cooperation in film production,” he said.
Krull added that Germany also plans to expand scientific cooperation and strengthen partnerships between universities in both countries.
He highlighted Germany’s support for the Museum of West African Arts in Benin City.
The museum, funded with about six million euros from Germany, will feature the Nigeria Imaginaries Exhibition previously shown in Vienna in 2024.
