Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, Senator Ita Enang, has urged Nigerians seeking employment in the European country to explore opportunities in vocational and technical fields, stressing that a university degree is not compulsory for every job.
Enang said individuals with practical skills in driving, hospitality, woodworking, welding and construction could qualify for employment in Germany, provided they meet the relevant professional and immigration requirements.
He made the remarks during an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday, noting that many Nigerians miss out on available opportunities because they assume that only university graduates with advanced academic qualifications can secure jobs abroad.
“It’s not only graduates that are entitled to employment in Germany or in Europe. If you are proficient in driving and you’ve been driving there for a long time, you are proceeding even in the hospitality industry, even in any field, in the woodworks, in welding, in the construction, the vocational, all the vocationals,” he said.
He added, “This is what many Nigerians or many persons who take job there did not know, because they think that you must have a long, big certificate.”
The ambassador, however, identified visa access, relevant professional credentials and knowledge of the German language as major hurdles confronting Nigerians interested in working in the country.
He said he had observed a relatively small number of Nigerians employed within Germany’s workforce since assuming office, although those who had secured positions were occupying senior roles.
“This is the one that has engaged me more because one of the things I found was that we don’t have many Nigerians working in that system. But those who are working, are working at the highest class. And part of the problem is having visa to go and work there,” he said.
According to him, prospective employees must understand German and possess qualifications or expertise that meet the requirements of their chosen professions.
“Having visa to go and work there, you also must learn and know the language. If you learn and know the language, you must have the profession, not be in part of their profession,” he added.
Enang disclosed that he was also taking German language lessons, describing language proficiency as essential to understanding and becoming integrated into the country’s system.
“I am really learning German. I’m really learning German language, the Dutch language,” he said.
Beyond employment opportunities, the envoy praised Germany’s commitment to preserving its language and encouraged Nigerians to show similar dedication to protecting their indigenous languages.
He expressed concern that some Nigerian languages could disappear without conscious efforts to sustain them, particularly among communities he believes should do more to preserve their linguistic heritage.
“They are very jealous of their language, which is correct. And I want Nigerians to, I want the Igbo man are not very jealous of their language. The Yoruba man are very jealous of their language. “The Hausa’s are very jealous of their language. I want people like the Ibibio people, the Igbira, the Thieves, to be jealous and envious and guard their language, otherwise they will extinct. So I love the Germans for the respect and honour they give to their language.”
On initiatives to expand access to German employment opportunities, Enang revealed that he was collaborating with the German Africa Skilled Mobility Foundation and other organisations to identify possible routes for Nigerian workers.
He said the discussions were focused on developing different channels through which Nigerians with relevant skills could enter Germany’s labour market.
“And there is an agency that is called the German Africa Skilled Mobility Foundation. You know, I work with them to enable me work through the different pathways that we can have Nigerians able to work in that, be able to come in and work in that economy,” he said.
The ambassador also acknowledged the changing political atmosphere surrounding immigration in Germany, particularly the increasing electoral influence of political parties opposed to immigration.
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He said the country would need to balance its immigration policies with its demand for skilled and qualified workers, noting that Nigeria and other African nations have large populations of young people who could contribute to Europe’s workforce.
Enang further disclosed that he had approached German authorities about establishing a labour migration agreement with Nigeria, similar to existing arrangements between Germany and India, as well as Kenya.
He explained that such agreements create organised employment pathways and allow participating countries to send a specified number of workers to Germany.
“I asked them, how did you get the Indians to sign circular migration agreement, which allows them to have a certain number of their citizens employed in the economy? How did Kenyans have them sign the immigration agreement, the labour migration agreement, which allows them to have a certain number of people employed from their country into your economy?” he said.
He said he had gathered information about the agreements and was examining how Nigeria could secure a similar arrangement.
The envoy added that his latest discussion on the initiative involved Germany’s Ambassador for Migration Cooperation, Dr Ludwig Jung.
As part of efforts to understand the requirements for employment, Enang said he had obtained English translations of Germany’s immigration and labour legislation.
He explained that his examination of the legal framework also covered European Union regulations, given that several aspects of immigration and labour migration are governed at the regional level.
“So what I’ve done is look at, in addition to what I have, I gather from the institutions, I also take the law and read myself. And the laws are not just laws of Germany. There are laws of the European community, because immigration law and the labour laws mostly are European,” he said.
Enang also disclosed that he was working with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and various universities to review academic programmes and determine the skills required in different sectors of Germany’s economy.
He said the exercise would help identify institutions offering relevant courses and provide opportunities to align Nigeria’s educational system with Germany’s, thereby improving access to further education and professional training for Nigerians.
“What I’m doing with the DAAD now is working and examining their school and universities curricula in the different areas in which they need skills, which schools are teaching different skills in which areas,” he said.
He noted that Nigerian students and graduates could benefit from further studies in German universities, where they would have opportunities to strengthen their qualifications and acquire skills relevant to the country’s labour market.
“Which, if we modify our educational system and if we want to take our graduates and undergraduates or postgraduates into the schools, into their system, they can go into these universities, improve themselves and then there will be an easy transition,” he said
The ambassador advised Nigerians considering employment in Germany to learn the language and explore admission opportunities in the country’s educational institutions as another route into the labour market.
He explained that certificates obtained from German institutions would be evaluated against the country’s established academic and professional standards.
“I’m coming to tell Nigerians that, look, you don’t need to come through all those routes. Just go learn the German language, seek admission, study in Germany, bring out whatever you learned. Don’t know the certificate, whatever certificate you bring out, it will be scaled and weighed and compared according to their education or qualification,” Enang said.
He emphasised that his efforts were not solely focused on helping Nigerians secure jobs in Germany but also on ensuring they acquire valuable expertise that could be brought back to Nigeria.
“I’m not only working on taking Nigerians to be able to go and work there, I want them to be able to acquire skills and also bring them down here,” he added.