As part of a 3-day government trip of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Africa, Carl Heinrich Bruhn, CEO of the CHB Group and co-founder of The Critical Minerals Fund (TCMF), accompanied a select group of delegation members to Nigeria and Ghana. As a participant in this high-ranking business delegation with representatives from German business, politics and civil society, Carl Heinrich Bruhn was invited to the trip to Africa for the critical minerals sector.
From October 29 to 31, 2023, the delegation travelled to various locations, with a first stop in the Nigerian capital Abuja. It became clear how important the topic of critical raw materials and value creation has become for the Nigerian and German governments as part of the global transformation towards renewable energies. Nigeria is the strongest and most populous economy in Africa and is an important trading partner and promising business location due to its large reserves of raw materials, among other things.
In the presence of Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, talks on future cooperation in the energy sector between Germany and the West African country were broadened. An intensive exchange on the future expansion of economic relations between the two countries took place at a German-Nigerian business forum.
The CHB Group is participating in setting up the international raw materials fund TCMF, which also makes provisions for projects in Nigeria to secure the supply of critical minerals. The CHB Group has many years of experience in various African countries in the field of sustainable project planning. During this trip, Carl Heinrich Bruhn had the opportunity to discuss sustainable projects with the Nigerian Minister of Mines and his government team in particular. The business delegation also met with representatives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to discuss opportunities for cooperation in the ECOWAS region.
Additionally, in the course of the government trip, the delegation was also able to discuss the expansion of economic relations between Ghana and Germany in Accra, Ghana.
With this trip, the German government aims to strengthen cooperation between German companies and the two countries and focus on joint projects that strengthen the local economy and secure the supply of raw materials in Germany. Particular emphasis will be placed on the expansion of local value chains in the country.
