President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday received the visiting German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Merkel who is concluding her tour of three West African countries, arrived Aso Rock at about 10.02am.
Reports say Buhari, while welcoming the German Chancellor at the forecourt of the Presidential Villa, introduced some members of his cabinet and presidential aides to his visitor before going into a closed-door meeting to deliberate on issues of mutual interest to both Nigeria and Germany.
Merkel is on her final leg of a three-day trip to Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria with a focus on strengthening economic development and containing illegal migration.
Meanwhile, Nigeria and Germany on Friday in Abuja signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) in agriculture and commerce. The first agreement was signed between the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and the German-Africa Business Association.
The First Deputy National President of NACCIMA, Hajiya Saratu Iya-Abubakar, signed on behalf of Nigeria, while Dr Stefan Liebing of German Africa Business Association, signed on behalf of the German business delegation.
The second agreement was signed between the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and the PETKUS Technologie GmbH, a company that specialises in post-harvest agricultural value chain.
The Managing Director of NIRSAL, Mr. Aliyu Abdulhameed, signed on behalf of Nigeria while the representative of PETKUS Technologie GmbH, Peter Huser, signed for the Germans.
Speaking after signing the MOUs, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Okechukwu Enelamah, said the agreements would increase the collaboration between Nigeria and Germany in the two areas.
According to Enelamah, the agreements will also leverage small and medium enterprises in Nigeria.