4. Issue N° 15 – April 2011
The Swiss Gazette
4 / 11
Fertilizers, Dyes, Pigments (13%) – also experienced
impressive growth in 2010.
In 2010, Nigeria was the fifth most important
destination for Swiss exports to Africa (behind
South Africa, Egypt, Algeria and Morocco), absorbing
8% of Swiss exports to the continent. On the other
hand, Nigeria retained its position as the third
most important African exporter to Switzerland
(after South Africa and Libya), supplying 12% of Swiss
imports from this part of the world.
Inauguration of new Nestlé Production
Facility: Swiss Ambassador announces
sponsorship programme for vocational
training
On February 3, 2011, Nestlé, the world’s leading
nutrition, health and wellness company, inaugurated
its new 12 billion NGN (CHF 87 million) state-of-the-
art Flowergate production facility at Sagamu in
Ogun State. The Flowergate Factory, Nestlé’s 27
th
in
Africa, is key to Nestlé’s growth ambition in Nigeria,
and in Africa as a whole, and will be initially dedicated
to the production of MAGGI products. The ceremony
took place in the presence of Nigerian Vice
President Namadi Sambo, Ogun State Governor
Otunba Gbenga Daniel and Nestlé Chief Executive
Paul Bulcke.
Nestlé Chief Executive Paul Bulcke, Nigerian Vice
President Namadi Sambo and Ogun State Governor
Otunba Gbenga Daniel (from left to right) at the
opening ceremony
On this occasion, Swiss Ambassador Andreas
Baum announced the launch of a pioneering
partnership in the field of vocational training. For
more information, please refer to the Ambassador’s
speech, reproduced below.
It is a great honour for me, as the Ambassador of
Switzerland to Nigeria, to take part in the formal inau-
guration of this new facility, the Flowergate Factory
here in Ogun State. On behalf of the government and
people of Switzerland, I heartily congratulate Nestlé
on this historic occasion. With this state-of-the-art
complex, Nigeria’s manufacturing industry is attracting
more significant direct foreign investment than ever
before. Together with the Nigerian government’s push
towards increasing the sector’s share of GDP, that
makes several positive indicators for the future of
manufacturing in this country.
The important contributions of Nestlé to the economic
development of Nigeria and its leadership in nutrition,
health and wellness, particularly in the food and
beverage sector, are well known. However, beyond
that, Nestlé also creates shared value for the society,
through the provision of technical education to young
Nigerians, thus enabling them to contribute towards
the technological advancement of the country.
In this context, I am pleased to announce another
milestone in Swiss-Nigerian relations: Switzerland and
Nigeria will formally conclude a Migration Partnership
on February 14, 2011, during the planned visit by the
Nigerian Foreign Minister, H.E. Henry Odein
Ajumogobia, to Berne. The Memorandum of Under-
standing on a migration partnership has a pioneering
character, which will bring cooperation between
Switzerland and Nigeria to a new level. Designed to
acknowledge both the opportunities and challenges of
migration, the partnership is the first such agreement
between Switzerland and an African country.
During the negotiations, it became clear that both the
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 Swiss Embassy looked into private initiatives and
training projects by business operators – and found
Nestlé Nigeria’s Technical Training Center in the
Agbara Factory an excellent opportunity to build upon.
It targets at developing young people and contributing
towards the development of science and technology in
the Nigerian society.
I am therefore happy to make a formal announcement
today. Switzerland has decided to establish a
scholarship for five students annually at the new
Nestlé Nigeria Technical Training Centre. This
sponsorship will provide vocational training in the
field of Electro-Mechanical-Automation Enginee-
ring. Furthermore, the five best students from
each promotion will have the opportunity to par-
ticipate in an additional training module of several
months in Switzerland, in the framework of the
training programmes of Nestlé’s headquarters.

5. Issue N° 15 – April 2011
The Swiss Gazette
5 / 11
This sponsorship is one of the key outcomes of the
exploratory talks the Embassy initiated with Swiss
companies operating in Nigeria, aimed at identifying
pilot opportunities in relation to vocational training for
a selected number of Nigerian youth. We are
convinced that there will be further opportunities to
work with Swiss businesses, thus filling the migration
partnership with life. Let me here pay tribute to
Nestlé’s openness and dynamism, which made the
first such cooperation possible.
Not many Swiss people know that Nestlé itself is a
real migration success story! Nestlé is originally the
name of a very innovative man, born in Frankfurt,
Germany, in 1814, who moved south in his twenties,
searching for greener pastures, and who, later on,
invented condensed milk. In Switzerland, he under-
went a four year apprenticeship as a pharmacist and
settled down in the French speaking part of my coun-
try. He changed his name slightly in order to fit in
perfectly into his new environment and founded the
company that is today one of the largest food and
nutrition companies in the world.
In closing, on behalf of the government and people of
Switzerland, let me wish Nestlé Nigeria and its
beautiful new factory continued success. Thank you.
Nestlé’s Flowergate Plant, at Sagamu, Ogun State
Call for further ideas in the field of training
and capacity building
Under the umbrella of the migration partnership
between the two countries, Switzerland is looking for
further opportunities to engage in cooperation with the
private sector in Nigeria and Switzerland in order to
support training possibilities and capacity building
activities. The Swiss Embassy stands ready to
receive and discuss interesting ideas or to learn
about existing cooperation:
abu.vertretung@eda.admin.ch
Trade Officer’s business trips to Lagos
On two occasions since the beginning of the year, our
Trade Officer, Mr. Okokon Odiongenyi, visited Lagos
to hold meetings with companies and to represent the
Embassy at different business-related events. While
attending a conference on “Commodities in 2011”
organised by the Swiss bank UBS on February 3,
our Trade Officer also held fruitful meetings with
Deeno Group, Firmenich, Givaudan, and Novartis. On
a second visit to Lagos on March 24 to attend the 8th
Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian-Swiss
Chamber Of Commerce, Mr. Odiongenyi also met with
some Nigerian companies on behalf of a Swiss pro-
ducer of scratch-off labels. During this visit, he also
paid courtesy calls on the Regional Centre for Interna-
tional Commercial Arbitration, as well as Fagbadex
Global Services, a Nigerian credit reporting firm.
As we are no longer directly present in Lagos,
Nigeria’s commercial capital, these trips provide useful
opportunities to foster commercial and institutional
relationships, engage with companies within our
network, seek partners for our events and, in some
cases, prospect for business opportunities on the
behest of Swiss companies.
Latest “Business meets Politics” Forum
In collaboration with the Ikwueto Law Firm, the
Embassy hosted the “Business meets Politics”
Forum on March 16 at the Transorp Hilton Hotel,
Abuja. For this Forum, the first in 2011, the focus was
on “Arbitration as an Alternative Dispute
Resolution Option for Business Operators in
Nigeria”. The two speakers – Mrs. Dorothy Ufot
SAN and Prof. Paul Idornigie – both have a wealth
of experience in commercial arbitration, and after their
engaging presentations, responded to series of
questions from the audience. The Forum attracted
about 80 guests, including diplomats, lawyers and
businessmen.
We are most grateful to our partners, to both speakers
at the Forum, and to all of you who attended. Our
intention is to host the “Business meets Politics”
Forum every quarter in 2011, one of which will be held
in Lagos.