Mr Wageringel, you spent a month in Nigeria for Detechgene. What impressed you there most?

K.W.: People in Nigeria are very warm-hearted and welcomed us with open arms. I soon felt at ease there – a feeling that extended directly to our professional work too. Everyone we met was very committed and interested in doing business with German firms. Our group was extremely diverse and included companies from various different sectors, such as fintech, eLearning and point-of-care diagnostics, our own area of business. The exchange programme was equally broad, offering something suitable for all participants.

Were you able to establish interesting contacts?

K.W.: Absolutely. I was able to talk to representatives from the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, for example. And there were a number of contacts with high-level experts from the medical sector. Contacts like these would never have happened if we had tried to do everything from Germany.

What were the most important things you learned?

K.W.: I was able to talk to legal experts to find out about the legal and regulatory aspects of approval for use in the biotech sector. That’s a good starting point on the road to entering a new market, because Nigeria is completely uncharted territory for us. In addition, I gained an idea of how Nigeria’s health care market works and whether there is a need for our product there.

Would you recommend that other companies take part in WIN NRW.Africa?

K. W.: I would encourage any young company to do so. The experience is of incredible intellectual value. You can gain new perspectives on business and understand how the Nigerian environment works.

R. B.: Yes, it’s a reality check for start-ups. It’s easy to write about international markets in a business plan. When you’re in Cologne, you can theorise all you like about how to market products in Africa, but it’s different when you are actually there researching on site. You really have to go there and see things with your own eyes.