Megatrends Afrika (MTA): Why does Germany need new Africa Policy Guidelines? Why is the Federal Government revising them and why now?
Christoph Retzlaff (CR): It is obvious that the world and also Africa have changed since the last iteration of the Africa Policy Guidelines in 2019 and their initial publication in 2014: the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the increasing competition of systems with China and the upheavals in the Sahel have been some of the recent significant developments. What is also new is the increased awareness of the growing importance of the African continent – not only in Germany, but also in many parts of the world. I would like to highlight a figure: since December 2021, there have been more than 50 visits to Africa on the political level by German Government representatives – State Secretaries, Federal Ministers and the Federal Chancellor. We have never before experienced this great a level of exchange with our African partners, and that is of course due to Africa’s growing importance. Worldwide, there is an increased recognition that we can only solve global challenges – the key issues being the climate crisis, migration and pandemic control …read more
Source:: German Institute for International and Security Affairs
