With its rapidly growing young population, by 2025 a quarter of the world will live in Africa.

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Without the active participation of African nations, urgent global challenges that affect all of us, such as climate change, wars and conflict, or the prevention of future pandemics cannot be tackled successfully.

Because of the ever-growing significance of Africa, the German government initiated of process of drafting new guidelines on Africa policy. This process was concluded at the beginning of this year.* During the past twelve month it involved a wide range of consultations with African partners, civil society, academia and businesses.

We seek a two-way partnership with African countries, based on dialogue, trust and cooperation. We want an honest relationship where we listen to each other and try to support one another in various fields of mutual interests and needs. Let me highlight a few salient points:

First of all, we propose to work together to fight and mitigate climate change. Africa is the continent that has least contributed to man-made climate change and global emissions of greenhouse gases. Yet, its countries and peoples belong to those who suffer most from their harmful effects. An increasing number of catastrophic weather events like floods, droughts, and storms undermine food security and exacerbate conflicts.

Therefore, we want to cooperate with African partners to limit global warming. Germany as well as the European Union, of which it is a member, are fully aware of their responsibility to help to finance decisive action against climate change and to take effective measures of mitigation. As with South Africa, we are embarking on partnerships to modernise energy supply and move forward green transitions, increasingly focusing on clean and renewable sources of energy.

Secondly, in order to tackle food insecurity, structural causes of hunger and malnutrition, we are ready to cooperate on the transformation of agricultural and food systems. The aim would be to heighten resilience and food sovereignty. Equally, we seek cooperation on global health issues. The COVID-19 pandemic made clear that coordination, mutual solidarity and fair access to pharmaceutical products are essential. Together with African stakeholders as well as other European and international partners, we are working together to establish regional vaccine and pharmaceuticals production facilities in Africa.

Thirdly, we need to work hand in hand on a fair and equitable reform of the international system. When the United Nations were founded, most of Africa was still under the yoke of colonialism. No wonder, therefore, that African nations are still underrepresented in core-decision making bodies like the UN Security Council. The realization of Africa‘s call for two permanent seats on the Council is long overdue. Germany fully supports it, as it does African demands for a just overhaul of international financial institutions.

Fourthly, we should strengthen trade and mutual investments. There are already over 1000 German companies active on the continent, and the last two German-African Business Summits in Johannesburg and Nairobi clearly showed a high interest and readiness to be even more active. The G20 Compact with Africa is a key multilateral initiative for improving the investment climate in Africa, and we hope it can be taken further during South Africa‘s Presidency of the G20 Group of Nations during this year.

Fifth, we are committed to consulting each other and cooperating on global peace and security. There are multiple grave security challenges on our continents. In Europe we are faced with Russia‘s aggression against Ukraine. In Africa, severe armed conflicts as in Sudan or Eastern Congo undermine hopes for peace and prosperity. We need mutual solidarity and each other‘s support to overcome these crises. Germany also supports African approaches to holistic conflict management, comprising matters of crisis prevention, strengthening national and regional security forces, mediation and addressing the root causes of conflicts. Now, more than ever, the UN Charter and international law need to be defended and strengthened.

Sixth, for the benefit of people and countries, we want to develop channels of regular labour migration. Of course, we must jointly prevent irregular migration and human trafficking. But we also want to facilitate safe, orderly and regular pathways between our countries and regions. The aim is a development-oriented migration of trainees and skilled workers, focusing also on opportunities of technical and vocational training. It would certainly benefit both countries of origin and destination and companies which operate on both sides.

Another crucial point in our two-way partnership: We cannot shape our future, if we don’t come to terms with our past. We must face the dark chapter of colonialism as part of our history. Germany is committed to a continued critical examination of its colonial past together with African states, as well as non-state stakeholders. This includes not only the acknowledgement of past injustices, like the shameful “Berlin Conference” on the partition of Africa 140 years ago, epitomizing the injustice, violence and racism of imperialism and colonial rule. It also includes the return of stolen cultural property. One priority is, of course, the process of reconciliation with Namibia, following the genocide committed against the Nama and Herero at the beginning of the 20th century by German colonial occupiers.

Finally, we believe that there is an enormous potential in enhanced cooperation. Working together in a pragmatic way in our mutual interest and to our mutual advantage, is at the core of our relations with partners on the African continent. As the Sepedi saying goes, diatla tše dipedi di a hlatswana. Like two hands that wash each other, friends help each other. Together we can overcome global challenges and solve joint problems in a spirit of cooperation.

*The full text of the Africa Policy Guidelines of the German Federal Government is here: https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aussenpolitik/regionaleschwerpunkte/afrika/afrika-leitlinien-node

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