The German government has approved the second phase of its collaborative project designed to strengthen Nigeria’s chambers of commerce and enhance youth skills development across the country.
The initiative, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, aims to position the chambers as key drivers of vocational training and entrepreneurship among young Nigerians.
Head of Competence Centre Africa for the Giessen-Friedberg Chamber of Commerce, Dr Kristen Albrecht, announced the approval during a meeting with the executive members of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) in Abuja on Friday.
She said that during the first phase of the programme, efforts focused on strengthening the capacities of NACCIMA, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), and the Ogun Chamber of Commerce to enable them to better serve their member companies.
Albrecht said they worked with the LCCI in particular to set up an innovation hub and a business centre in Ikeja, Lagos, where youths can enhance their skills and also get support from the chamber.
‘For the second phase, we plan to enlarge the innovation hub and install tech hubs where qualification courses will be held for young Nigerians seeking more skills, especially in information technology, so they can either stay and work in Nigeria or be prepared to work abroad’, she said.
Albrecht added that the second phase would also focus on fostering German-Nigerian economic ties, particularly through joint fair participation and a trade fair calendar featuring two trade missions each between Nigeria and Germany.
She noted the launch of a platform called ‘The World Meets in Giessen’, where small and medium enterprises will meet annually for a B2B conference to secure partners and investments through AI-facilitated business matching.
Also speaking, the CEO of Giessen Chambers of Commerce, Dr Matthias Leder, said they are enriching chambers in Nigeria to position them as key drivers of the country’s economic growth.
He said the B2B conference, scheduled for 8 to 10 June, 2026, in Germany, is a valuable platform for Nigeria’s SMEs to gain international exposure and attract technology and investment to support their growth.
Leder commended the partnership with NACCIMA in dual vocational training and urged the association to take ownership and deepen the programme nationwide.
In his remarks, NACCIMA President Engr Jani Ibrahim stated that their relationship with the German Chamber has come a long way and is now being consolidated to offer more opportunities to train young Nigerians in diverse skills.
‘It is a relationship that has started well, and we are consolidating it to train young Nigerians and make them marketable globally through vocational skills’, he said.
He noted that acquiring skills via the dual vocational training programme would enable legal work abroad, reducing the risks associated with illegal migration.
Ibrahim highlighted NACCIMA’s partnership with the Industrial Training Fund to train and facilitate the export of young, skilled Nigerian artisans to international markets as part of its talent development programme.
PUNCH Online reports that the first phase of the German Collaboration Project, launched in 2021, formed part of Germany’s broader Skills for Youth Employment Programme, which promotes vocational education, apprenticeships, and business competitiveness in African partner countries.
The project trained youths in technical skills and strengthened institutional links between the public and private sectors.
The German-Nigerian partnership aligns with Berlin’s commitment to supporting African economies through sustainable job creation, trade facilitation, and private-sector development under its Compact with Africa framework.
