The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, has led a high level Nigerian delegation to Germany to deepen academic cooperation between Nigerian and German universities.

The visit, facilitated by the German Academic Exchange Service in partnership with the Consulate General of Germany in Lagos, centred on strategic engagements aimed at expanding opportunities for Nigerian students and institutions.

A principal outcome of the discussions is the proposed establishment of an Academic Evaluation Centre in Lagos, designed to streamline and fast track visa processing for Nigerian students seeking to study in Germany.

Ribadu was joined by the Secretary General of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Prof. Andrew Haruna, and the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Mr Sunny Echono. The delegation engaged with DAAD officials, German universities, accreditation bodies, and representatives of the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin and Bonn.

The engagements are expected to foster stronger institutional linkages, enhance academic mobility, and promote knowledge exchange, ultimately advancing the global competitiveness of Nigeria's university system.

The German Academic Exchange Service, formally known as Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, was established in 1925 as a joint initiative of German universities and student bodies to promote international academic relations. Recognised as the world's largest funding organisation for the international exchange of students and academics, the DAAD has supported over three million scholars in Germany and abroad since its inception, based on 2024 statistics.

In 2024 alone, the DAAD, alongside European Union programmes, supported more than 140,000 individuals globally. Its offerings span study periods for undergraduate and postgraduate students, doctoral programmes, internships, guest lectureships, academic visits, and support for the establishment of higher education institutions abroad.

Beyond scholarship provision, the DAAD advances the internationalisation of German higher education and research, offers strategic guidance to universities on global engagement, promotes the German language worldwide and supports countries in the global South in strengthening their higher education systems.

Scholarship opportunities for international applicants are advertised through the DAAD scholarship database and disseminated via German embassies, regional offices, information centres, DAAD lecturers and partner institutions worldwide.

The DAAD also serves as the National Agency responsible for coordinating and implementing the European Union's Erasmus+ programme within the higher education sector.