Daniel Krull, the new German Consul General in Lagos, has pledged to deepen economic, cultural, and academic cooperation between Germany and Nigeria. Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, Krull, who assumed office in August and previously served as Germany’s ambassador to Ghana, described Lagos as Nigeria’s economic hub and said he was ready for the role.
A key priority for Krull is to strengthen people-to-people exchanges and improve visa services at the consulate, which handles over 10,000 visas annually. Plans are underway to double visa counters and introduce external service providers to streamline visa application processes, including deploying a diploma verification system.
Krull said Nigeria is Germany’s largest trading partner in West Africa, and there is potential to expand commercial cooperation, particularly by attracting German IT companies interested in Nigeria’s growing tech talent pool. He also revealed a German film industry delegation is in Lagos for the African Film Festival, marking a first step towards cooperation with Nollywood in filmmaking.
Plans to expand scientific partnerships and support for education, including backing the Museum of West African Arts in Benin City with six million euros, are also underway. Krull expressed commitment to facilitating collaboration across sectors, signaling promising prospects for Germany-Nigeria relations.
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