German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit Nigeria and Ghana next week to strengthen bilateral relations between the countries, the German embassy in Nigeria said.    

In his first trip to Africa as Chancellor in May 2022, Scholz said Germany wanted to pursue gas and renewable energy projects with Senegal. 

This was in light of the Russia-Ukraine war and its effects on food and energy costs globally. Scholz also visited Niger and South Africa during that trip.       

Meanwhile, Germany's President Steinmeier will travel to Tanzania and Zambia on Monday and Tuesday respectively, a statement from his office said.    

Bolstering diplomatic and commercial ties will be a key theme of both their trips, the respective statements said.    

Scholz will meet with Tinubu and West Africa's top regional bloc ECOWAS Commission President, Omar Alieu Touray in the capital Abuja.    

The topics of investment and security in a region hit by coups in recent months in Mali, Niger, Gabon and Burkina Faso will be on the agenda.    

Scholz will then travel to Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos where he will open a Nigeria-German Business Conference. 

His delegation will include high-ranking German business people including CEOs of some of the highest-valued German companies, the statement said.    

Scholz’s trip comes ahead of a Berlin conference on November 20 between African and G20 countries to promote private investment in Africa.    

For his part, President Steinmeier will meet Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan for political talks on October 30, the statement from his office said.     

Steinmeier will also hold discussions with representatives from German and Tanzanian businesses to bolster economic and trade relations between the two countries. 

After his visit to the East African country, he will then travel to Zambia for a state visit on November 1.

(Editing by Seban Scaria seban.scaria@lseg.com)