The Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) and Germany are strenghtening collaborative efforts to enhance equipment and technical support for Nigerian military to further improve operational efficiency.

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin made this revelation while receiving a delegation of the German Armed Forces led by the Commander Corps of Engineers, Brigadier General Lutz Enrich Niemann during a recent visit to the Defence Headquarters, Abuja.

As was contained in a press release by Colonel
Onyema Nwachukwu,  Acting Director Defence Information,  CDS stated that the visit provided much needed forum for interaction on measures to improve the existing collaboration between Nigerian Armed Forces and her German counterpart in the area of engineering and technical training support for personnel through the instrumentality of the German Technical Advisory Training Group (GTAG) in Nigeria.

He added that this would go a long way to further improve the cordial relationship between the two countries.

The Chief of Defence Staff, who was represented by the Director of Production at the Defence Headquarters, Air Vice Marshal Aliyu Gambo Pani thanked the Commander of German Corps of Engineers for his oversight visit, to assess the extent of work done on the various projects being executed by his country in support of the AFN.

Speaking further, the CDS noted that the projects executed by the German Corps of Engineers under the auspices of GTAG will no doubt facilitate the Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency Operations in the North East theatre of Operation, stressing that the projects were executed following a memorandum of understanding between the German and Nigerian Governments.

While promising to ensure adequate maintenance of the equipment and infrastructure for optimal benefit, he assured the German delegation that the equipment will be put to judicious use and adequately maintained.

In his remarks, the German Commander Corps of Engineers, who also overseas all GTAG activities in West Africa said his visit was aimed at assessing the projects being executed by his country in Nigeria.

Brigadier General Niemmann who was accompanied by the Coordinator of GTAG in Nigeria, Lt Col J Gliemann and other Senior officers pointed out, that the German military and AFN has long standing and robust relationship which has helped both militaries in sharing knowledge and experiences in the field of engineering.

It is worth recalling that the collaboration between the Defence Headquarters and GTAG has advanced from technical training to the provision of engineering equipment and training infrastructure in Nigeria in order to enhance the competence of engineering personnel of the AFN.

Some of the projects executed by the GTAG under the German assistance programme include the provision of equipment at the Armed Forces Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (AFEME) Mechatronics School in Mogadishu Cantonment Abuja, provision and training of personnel on Counter Improvised Explosive Device at Nigerian Army School of Mechanical Engineering Makurdi and provision of equipment at the Training and Rehabilitation Center situated at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital Kaduna.

The German delegation alongside a team from the Defence Headquarters later embarked on an inspection tour of the project sites.