Development Minister Schulze is in Nigeria to promote skilled immigration from the country. But Germany is not the only one competing for the young population. The new strategy may come a little late.
A red ribbon still hangs in front of the inconspicuous door. A low-rise building, painted pink, everything new – in the middle of a dusty arterial road in Nyanya, a suburb of the Nigerian capital Abuja. “Even before the opening, a lot of people wanted to come in,” says Sandra Vermeuijten, who prepared everything here and is leading the project at the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ).
The great interest is probably in the green sign in front of the fence: it says “Migrant Resource Center” – and that it is a German-Nigerian office. That sounds like great hope for many here. “From now on I expect a tsunami,” shouts Vermeuijten as the barrier tape is cut.
There are already three such advice centers in Nigeria, also financed with German development money. So far they have helped returnees who were deported from Germany, for example, to regain their footing. The dangers of irregular migration were also explained.
Very low protection rate as asylum seekers
Now these centers, including the new one in Nyanya, are supposed to represent the “paradigm change” that the federal government has decided on: They are now also allowed to provide information about legal migration to Germany, recruit skilled workers and help them.
In the end, it’s about controlling more who comes to Germany and who doesn’t. As asylum seekers, Nigerians have a very low protection rate of just twelve percent. One problem is that, according to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, around 90 percent of them do not present any identity papers, which makes repatriation more difficult.
The stories that Development Minister Svenja Schulze listens to in a tent in front of the center are very different. Young men and women sit there at a table in the shade. One of them is Elizabeth Nwaokoro. She lived in Munich for six years before she was deported. “I was nobody when I came back,” she tells the minister.
The migration center in Lagos helped her get into the fashion industry. She was able to complete training in stamping fabrics and a paid internship. “Now I have a shop and two employees,” says Nwaokoro.
Debo Adebambo Adebaya sits next to her. He also wants to go to Germany – but as a well-prepared migrant worker. The 28-year-old is learning German and is a data analyst. “We need data scientists,” shouts Schulze across the table.
Enormous Migration pressure
Adebaya says that his knowledge of Germany has come from books and that it sounds like “an exciting place.” He loves FC Bayern Munich. “But the language is the biggest challenge,” he says.
The participants in the discussion were previously selected by the migration centers. It is unclear whether all stories have so many positive things.
The centers do not offer a wide range of continuing education courses. Tailoring clothes, sewing bags, repairing cars – that’s what a lot of people do in Nigeria anyway. On the opening day, a video is shown in the training room about women who learned braids, i.e. various braided hairstyles, in a course. In the end, all of these are more like street jobs in Nigeria where you live from hand to mouth.
One thing is clear: the country is under enormous migration pressure. According to forecasts, the population is expected to double from the current 220 million people by 2050. But neither the infrastructure nor the labor market can already keep up with this increase.
Rampant corruption
“Over 80 percent work in the informal sector, for example as street vendors,” says Lennart Oestergaard, who works for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Abuja. Even graduates often have no other chance. “The young educated class in particular is extremely frustrated,” says Oestergaard. The strong population growth means that the rush for the few official jobs in companies or administrations is becoming ever greater.
Added to this is rampant corruption. “This hinders the economy and anyone who wants to build something here,” says Lukas Laible, security expert at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Nigeria. He also points to the enormous inflation rate, which has been 28 percent in recent months. “The cost of living is rising and rising. Over two thirds are now affected by poverty, 40 percent live below the poverty line.”
Ultimately, all of this has made Nigeria significantly less safe in recent months. “Kidnapping has become a source of income,” says Laible. “Recently there were often several cases per week.” The goal: to extort the equivalent of thousands of euros. “Sometimes an entire village comes together to ransom someone.”
Other countries have been advertising for years
Many therefore dreamed of trying somewhere else. But Germany is not the most popular destination country. “Nigerian professionals are very aware of their value,” says Oestergaard. They often have several offers. “Canada or the USA are at the top of the wish list. It’s not just because of the language,” says Oestergaard.
Other countries have been recruiting more skilled workers for years, especially in the healthcare sector. Germany may be a little late with its new strategy – and must also proceed sensitively. There is already a massive shortage of doctors and nurses in Nigeria. Parliament is even working on a law that would require young Nigerian doctors to initially stay in their home country for five years.
“We want to make migration a success for everyone involved,” said Development Minister Schulze after the opening of the center, surrounded by local media and politicians. “For Germany, for Nigeria and for the people themselves.” Migration is not a problem, but a fact. But it has to be controlled. “Here, people can learn something about legal routes to Germany,” says Schulze in front of the new center, which is decorated with balloons in the colors of both countries.
Germany or Nigeria? Data specialist Debo Adebambo Adebaya isn’t quite sure where his path will ultimately lead: “I think I’d like to work in Germany for a few years,” he says. “And then come back to Nigeria and help build something here.”