G-20 Summit: Tinubu Meets German Chancellor, Others, Woos Volkswagen Back To Nigeria 

As world leaders wrap up ac­tivities at the G-20 summit in India, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu seized the sidelines of the summit to meet with the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, where he sold the eco­nomic prospects of Nigeria and why car manufacturing would be a money spinner for countries willing to invest.

In specific terms, Tinubu said, “It is not, for us, only a matter of designing the financial architecture for an expanded economic part­nership. It is also about the practicality of aligning the perspectives of your large-scale manufacturers, such as Volkswagen and others, with the reality of the new incen­tives my government is putting in place for them to come and prosper across multiple value chains and sectors in­side of our country”.

Besides the German Chan­cellor, Tinubu also met with the Heads of State of three nations which have been identified as key partners in his economic development diplomacy drive for local investment and wealth creation.

A statement by Tinubu’s media aide, Ajuri Ngelale on Sunday, regarding Europe’s largest economy, Germany, Tinubu said Nigeria presents a unique opportunity to expand ties of prosperity for the people of Nigeria, but with a pragmatic approach toward ensuring the effective execu­tion of agreements struck.

Apparently intrigued by the specific economic focus of the president’s proposal, German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, was said to have acknowledged the mutual­ly-beneficial nature of an escalation in the scale of economic ties with Africa’s largest economy.

“Thank you for this important discussion, Mr. Pres­ident. I appreciate this opportunity to advance our economic relations. Your market is unique and our companies have a history in Nigeria. We acknowledge the business-friendly reforms you have put in place. I am happy to inform you of my desire to visit you in Nigeria in October, which will allow us to carry forward these ini­tiatives,” the German leader confided.

Following President Tinubu’s acceptance of the German Chancellor’s re­quest to visit, the president proceeded to sit down with the leader of Asia’s fourth largest economy, South Ko­rea, during which, South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, commended the presi­dent’s regional leadership in upholding democratic tenets and norms.

“I wish to commend your strong leadership, follow­ing the peaceful transfer of power to you from your pre­decessor and we see a stable country in West Africa that is growing in stature,” he said.

Tinubu responded by swiftly steering the discussion toward his economic focus as he immediately advanced proposals for an enhanced South Korean presence in Nigeria’s local manufacturing sector.