Biography
Niklas has over 10 years of experience driving digital economy, infrastructure development and regional cooperation across Africa. Currently based in Kigali, he leads the regional Smart Africa portfolio at GIZ working in close partnership with African governments, the African Union, the European Union, the German Government and private sector partners to build regional delivery structures across African markets.
Prior to his current role, Niklas spent seven years at the GIZ African Union office in Johannesburg, where he led continent-wide infrastructure corridor programmes, facilitated strategic alignment across AU Member States and established partnerships with organisations including Google, the OECD, the AfDB and the African Centre for Economic Transformation. Over the course of his career, he has mobilized over €18 million in partnerships and programme funding across infrastructure and digital portfolios.
Niklas holds an MBA from Stellenbosch Business School, where his research into organisational impact narratives led to ongoing academic collaboration. He also holds an MSc in Public Policy and Human Development from Maastricht University/UNU-MERIT, specialising in Regional Economic Integration and Multi-Level Governance.
He is a German national and has lived and worked across Turkey, Jordan, Ethiopia, South Africa and Rwanda. He is a guest speaker on international cooperation and infrastructure development at Azim Premji University in Bangalore.