Our Mandate

The German Africa Foundation (DAS) is a non-partisan foundation committed to the successful implementation of the Africa policy guidelines of the German Federal Government. As a facilitator, we offer a platform for partnership-based exchange between German and African actors and thus strengthen cooperation with the states and institutions of our neighbouring continent. Hereby, we particularly focus on the work in the parliamentary sphere. In the context of expert talks, parliamentary breakfasts and panel discussions, we bring together members of the German Bundestag, specialist ministries and other political decision-makers from Germany and Africa. At the same time, we advocate greater involvement of representatives of African embassies and the African diaspora in German politics.

One of our core tasks is to convey a differentiated image of Africa in the political arena and to the German public. Since 1993, we have been awarding the German Africa Award every year, honouring outstanding personalities from the neighbouring continent who have rendered outstanding services to democracy, peace, human rights, accountability, art and culture, social market economy and social issues. In this way, we bring new developments in Africa to the attention of the German public and promote a differentiated perception of our neighbouring continent.

In our weekly press review we provide an overview of current political developments in Africa and offer a collection of online reports on Africa by German-speaking as well as selected English and French-speaking media. With our Africa Info Hub we furthermore offer an overview of Africa-relevant institutions, country-specific information as well as selected professional articles and are thus the first contact point for people interested in Africa.

Our History

The German Africa Foundation (DAS) has been committed to promoting German-African relations for 45 years. On 10 May 1978, the Foundation was founded as a membership association by a number of politicians of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU). In the same year, the Foundation was included in the institutional funding of the Federal Foreign Office. From the very beginning, the DAS worked closely with the political foundations and advised the German Federal Government on African-related policy issues.

Under the chairmanship of Karl-Heinz Hornhues (CDU), Member of the German Bundestag, the Foundation underwent a strategic reorientation and increasingly adopted a non-partisan stance: in 1991, members of other parliamentary groups joined the Foundation for the first time and members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and Free Democratic Party (FDP) were elected to the board. A second wave of expansion followed in 1994, during which Dr Uschi Eid, the current president of the DAS, also became a board member. Under her leadership, the DAS was transformed into the cross-party foundation that exists today. Currently, the DAS board brings together active and former members of parliament from various parties, as well as representatives from business and civil society.

Our Board

Dr Uschi Eid

President

Dr Uschi Eid was a member of the German Bundestag for 20 years, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) (1998 – 2005) and Personal Representative for Africa of Chancellor Schröder. She worked in Eritrea for three years and has been President of the DAS since 2015.

Show Biography →

Prof Dr Karl-Heinz Hornhues

Honorary President

For many years, Prof Dr Karl-Heinz Hornhues chaired the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag and served as president of the German Africa Foundation. In 2008, he and his wife founded the Ellen und Karl-Heinz Hornhues Stiftung ProAfrika.

Show Biography →

Alois Karl

Vice-President

Alois Karl was a member of Parliament from 2005 to 2021. Here, he was, amongst other post, member of the Budget Committee and the Committee for Human Rights. Before joing the German Bundestag, he was the Mayor of Neumarkt i.d.OPf. As a mountaineer, he climbed the Kilimanjaro.

Show Biography →

Christoph Matschie

Vice-President

Christoph Matschie has been a visiting researcher at the Centre for International Peace Operations (ZIF) since 2021, focusing on the Horn of Africa and cooperation with the German Bundestag. Previously, he was head of the Africa discussion group of the SPD parliamentary group and deputy foreign policy spokesperson. He was a member of the German Bundestag from 1990 to 2004 and from 2017 to 2021.

Show Biography →

Dieter Härthe

Treasurer

Dieter Härthe is Chairman of the Senate of Economy International and Honorary Chairman of the Senate of Economy Germany. For more than 20 years he has been Consul General of the Republic of Senegal for the federal states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. He is co-author of the BMZ study “Marshall Plan with Africa” and advocates investments in Africa by German companies.

Show Biography →

Klaus A. Hess

Legal Adviser

The publisher and journalist Klaus A. Hess, who served as President of the German-Namibian Society (DNG) from 1982 to 2023, is now its Honorary President. For decades, he has been committed to fostering relations between Germany and Namibia. His publishing house produces the Namibiamagazin.

Show Biography →

Dr. Karamba Diaby

Assessor

Dr. Karamba Diaby was a member of the German Bundestag from 2013 to 2025 and was particularly committed to German-African cooperation. As Chair of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for West Africa and a full member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Subcommittee on Global Health, he advocated for partnerships based on equality and for progress in education, health, and sustainable development.

Show Biography →

Dr Volker Faigle

Assessor

Dr Volker Faigle worked as a Protestant pastor in Kenya for six years and was Africa advisor of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) for 13 years. Today he is the Sudan and South Sudan representative of the EKD and works as an ecumenical adviser for South Africa.

Show Biography →

Dr forest Christoph Hoffmann

Assessor

Dr. Christoph Hoffmann, a forest scientist, served as a member of the Bundestag for the Free Democratic Party (FDP) from 2017 to 2025. He was especially active in the field of development cooperation and most recently served as acting Chair of the Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development. His focus was on sustainable development, particularly in Africa and Southeast Asia.

Show Biography →

Volkmar Klein

Assessor

Volkmar Klein was a member of the German Bundestag for the CDU from 2009 to 2025 and served as the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s spokesperson on development policy starting in the 19th legislative period. In this role, he promoted effective development cooperation, especially with African countries. Privately, he was involved in projects in Ghana aimed at fostering sustainable development and economic opportunities.

Show Biography →

Sabine Odhiambo

Assessor

Sabine Odhiambo lived in Nairobi for eight years and developed into a specialist for the East African region. In addition to various Kenyan NGOs, she also worked for the Goethe Institute as well as the German Embassy. Having already led the Foundation on an interim basis and served as Deputy Secretary General, she has been Secretary General of the German Africa Foundation since 2022.

Show Biography →

Stefan Rouenhoff MP

Assessor

Stefan Rouenhoff has been Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy since 2025. Prior to this, he was a member of the Economic Affairs Committee and head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s Africa working group. Before being elected to the Bundestag (member since 2027), he was Commercial AttachĂ© at the Permanent Representation of Germany to the European Union for three years.

Show Biography →

Rebecca Schamber

Assessor

Rebecca Schamber served as a directly elected member of the Bundestag for the SPD from 2021 to 2025. As a member of the Defence Committee, she advocated for peacekeeping and a restrictive arms export policy. In the Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development, she was the regional rapporteur for Southern and Eastern Africa and worked on issues such as urbanization, population growth, and feminist development policy.

Show Biography →

Heiko Schwiderowski

Assessor

Heiko Schwiderowski is head of the Africa department and the African expert of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerc (DIHK). The creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area is of particular concern to him. He stayed in Namibia for several years.

Show Biography →

Kordula Schulz-Asche

Assessor

Kordula Schulz-Asche was a member of the Bundestag for the Green Party from 2013 to 2025 and served as Chair of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for Eastern Africa. She lived for 13 years in various African countries and worked for the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), particularly in the field of health education.

Show Biography →

Dr Wolfgang Stefinger MP

Assessor

Since 2025, Dr Wolfgang Stefinger has been the Chair of the Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development, where he has been a member since 2017. He also serves as vice-chairman of the parliamentary friendship group Southern Africa and is a member of the parliamentary friendship group of the Maghreb States.

Show Biography →

Jessica Tatti

Assesor

Jessica Tatti was a member of the German Bundestag for the DIE LINKE parliamentary group from 2017 to 2023 and deputy chair of the West Africa parliamentary group. Since February 2024, she is a member of the BSW Group.

Show Biography →
Our Team

Sabine Odhiambo

Secretary General

Director of the office

E-mail: odhiambo@deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 09 47 29

Show Biography →

Larissa PflĂĽger

Scientific Advisor

Regional Advisor for Southern Africa (SADC region); Political Communication and Public Relations.

E-mail: pflueger@deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 09 47 28

Show Biography →

Svenja Schindelwig

Scientific Advisor

Regional Advisor for Francophone West and Central Africa, excluding the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

E-mail: schindelwig@deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 09 11 66

Show Biography →

Ellen Wiesbrock

Scientific Advisor

Regional Advisor for East Africa, as well as for Ghana and Nigeria.

E-mail: wiesbrock@deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 87 43 30

 

Show Biography →

Agnès Bel

Administration & Foreign Languages

E-mail: bel@deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 09 47 27

 

Show Biography →

Njogou Tamba

Working Student

E-mail: tamba@deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 09 47 27

 

Show Biography →

Cara Hamann

Project Assistant

E-mail: team@deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 09 47 27

Show Biography →

Finn Schäfer

Project Assistant

E-mail: team@deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 09 47 27

Show Biography →

Raphael Mayr

Senior Project Manager

WIDU.africa

E-mail: mayr@deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 1522 6383945

Board of Trustees

Bruno Wenn

Chairman

Show Biography →

Dr Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate

Member

Show Biography →

Helmut Gauges

Member

Show Biography →

Prof Emeritus Robert Kappel

Member

Show Biography →

Egon Kochanke

Member

Show Biography →

Dr Stefan Mair

Member

Show Biography →

Dr Michael Rabbow

Member

Show Biography →

Marina Schuster

Mitglied

Show Biography →

Johannes Singhammer

Member

Show Biography →
Tenders

Internships

We are looking for a dedicated intern (m/f/d) to join our team for a full-time (39 hours/week) internship of three months, starting on one of the following dates:

  • 1 December 2025
  • 5 January 2026
  •  March 2026

Your Tasks

  • Media monitoring: Create our weekly DAS press review on news from and about Africa
  • Content creation: Prepare content for our website and social media channels
  • Event management: Support the team in the planning, preparation, realisation and follow-up of specialist events.
  • Guest Relations: Be part of our team and accompany African guests during their stay.
  • Committee meetings: Prepare important meetings of the foundation’s relevant committees.
  • Research: Work on the preparation and realisation of appointments of the President or the office.
  • German Africa Award: Work on the organisation of the German Africa Award.

 

Requirements

  • Advanced German language skills (minimum B2-Level).
  • Enrolment at a university.
  • Strong interest in the political field of Africa and German Africa policy
  • Solid knowledge of written and spoken English, knowledge of French is an advantage.
  • Confident handling of MS Office; knowledge of WordPress and Mailchimp is an advantage.
  • Independent working style and high level of initiative.
  • Ability to work in a team and enjoy collaborating in an international environment.

 

We offer:

  • Insights into the exciting world of German Africa policy.
  • Responsibility and the opportunity to contribute your own ideas.
  • A dynamic team with flat hierarchies and an open working atmosphere.
  • A salary of 450 euros per month.

Are you interested? Then send us your detailed application (cover letter in German, CV, certificates, certificate of enrolment and details of the specific internship period) to Larissa Pflueger (bewerbung@deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de).

Applications from people with different backgrounds are expressly welcome.

Ausschreibung →

contact details

Larissa PflĂĽger

Scientific Advisor

bewerbung@deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de