Nigeria, Switzerland to conclude migration partnership

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Switzerland and Nigeria will formally conclude a migration partnership in less than two weeks, Andreas Baum, the ambassador of Switzerland to Nigeria, has said.

Mr. Baum, at the inauguration of a new factory by Nestle Nigeria in Ogun State on Thursday, said the partnership will be concluded during the planned visit of Odein Ajumogobia, the foreign affairs minister, to Berne on February 14.

“The memorandum of understanding on a migration partnership has a pioneering character which will bring cooperation between Switzerland and Nigeria to a new level. The partnership, which is designed to acknowledge both the opportunities and challenges of migration, is the first of such agreement between Switzerland and an African country,” he said.

“It became clear that both Nigerian and Swiss partners were aware that capacity building - including in the field of training and education - should be an area of joint cooperation,” the envoy further said.

Mr. Baum said the Swiss Embassy looked into private initiatives and training projects by business operators and found Nestle’s Nigeria Technical Training Centre in the Agbara factory an excellent opportunity to build upon because it targets at developing young people and contributing towards the growth of Science and technology in Nigeria.

“I am, therefore, happy to make a formal announcement that Switzerland has decided to establish a scholarship for five students annually at the new Nestle’s Nigeria Technical Training Centre,” Mr. Baum said, adding that the scholarship will provide vocational training in the field of Electo-Mechanical-Automation Engineering.

“The sponsorship is one of the key outcomes of the exploratory talks the Embassy initiated with Swiss companies operating in Nigeria,” he said.

Furthermore, the five best students from each promotion will have the opportunity to participate in an additional training module of several months in Switzerland, in the framework of training programmes of Nestle’s headquarters.

Meanwhile, at the inauguration of the new factory, which was also attended by Namadi Sambo, the nation’s vice president and Gbenga Daniel, Ogun State governor, the chief executive officer of Nestle South Africa, Paul Bulcke, reiterated the company’s continuous contribution to Nigeria.

“Nestle has been operationally present in Nigeria for 50 years, bringing meaningful value to society at large. This latest investment is proof of our commitment to Africa,” Mr. Bulcke said.

With an investment of N12 billion, the new factory, Flowergate, is Nestle’s 27th in Africa and is key to its growth in Nigeria. Nestle’s activities in the country is worth about N59 billion, with over 3,000 employees.