From Passau via Abuja, Lagos and Maseru to Johannesburg
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will be travelling in Nigeria and South Africa from 10 to 15 December 2024 to set an example of appreciation and strengthen bilateral relations with the two countries. This should contribute to deepening economic exchange.
Steinmeier will be accompanied by a business delegation of nine company representatives. Among them is Dr Fritz Audebert, CEO of ICUnet.AG*, a Passau-based company that is now a European market leader in global mobility and intercultural consulting.
The company has expertise in 75 cultural areas and last year a delegation of its own travelled to Nairobi, Kenya, Kigali and Rwanda. Due to the profound Africa expertise of the service provider, the Office of the Federal President asked the Passau-based cultural scientist, who holds a doctorate in cultural studies, to give a keynote speech on the topic of skills shortages at a round table discussion with Nigerian business representatives in Lagos:
How can Nigeria and Germany benefit from a partnership? Audebert has been intensively exploring this question since 2022.
While the average age in Nigeria is 18, Germany is struggling with an aging society, with an average age of 44.6 years. In this regard, Audebert points to the increasing shortage of skilled workers in the German health and care sector, but also in engineering and IT. It is precisely in these areas that there are many highly qualified young professionals in Nigeria who often find it difficult to find employment due to structural conditions in the labour market in their home country. Africans therefore see more opportunities than the risk of a brain drain in global professional opportunities.
Further topics of the round table discussion were energy, energy security and costs, as well as financing options. After all, about 90% of Nigeria's export earnings come from oil and gas exports, as the country has the world's 11th largest oil reserves and is one of the leading exporters of liquefied natural gas.
The agenda also included an exchange with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and his cabinet at the presidential palace in Abuja, led by the German Federal President, before the delegates held further meetings in South Africa on Thursday (12 December) and the trip will end in the Kingdom of Lesotho on Saturday (14 December).
Not only the Federal President stated that he would continue to work on expanding German-African relations and explore new economic opportunities from which both countries would benefit. Audebert and the ICUnet.Group are already initiating the next steps.
Further information on the topic:
"A journey that moves" – CEO Insight: Impressions from the delegation trip to Africa with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier
„Insights into our Africa travel diary“ – ICUnet-Blogpost
For enquiries / press contact:
Alessa Zehe | Teamlead Marketing & PR, ICUnet.AG
alessa.zehe@icunet.group | +49 851 988666-889
ICUnet.AG, Fritz-Schäffer-Promenade 1, 94032 Passau
*About ICUnet.AG:
Founded in Passau in 2001 and now represented in over 20 locations worldwide, ICUnet.AG is the European market leader for intercultural consulting and global mobility in over 75 countries.
The interdisciplinary and intercultural team of experts has already provided relocation and immigration services for 40,000+ professionals worldwide.
With more than 80 awards won, ICUnet.AG is the most frequently awarded company in its industry, trusted by over 24 DAX, 22 Euro Stoxx and more than 450 medium-sized companies.