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.
Sabine Odhiambo
Secretary General
E-mail: odhiambo(at)deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 09 47 29
Sabine Odhiambo
Secretary General
E-mail: odhiambo(at)deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 09 47 29
Secretary General, German Africa Foundation
Deputy Secretary General, German Africa Foundation
Acting Director, German Africa Foundation
Scientific Advisor, German Africa Foundation
German Embassy Nairobi, Kenya
Goethe Institut Nairobi, Kenya
Kenyan NGOs, Nairobi, Kenya
Magister in Political Science and African Studies, University of Leipzig
Magister in Political Science, African Studies and Islamic Studies, Friedrich-Wilhelms University, Bonn
Larissa Pflüger
Senior Political Communication and Public Relations Officer | Programme Officer Southern Africa (SADC region)
E-mail: pflueger(at)deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 09 47 28
Svenja Schindelwig
Head of Finance and Administration | Programme Officer West Africa
E-mail: schindelwig(at)deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 09 11 66
Dr Daniel Tödt
Programme Officer North and Central Africa
E-mail: toedt(at)deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 87 43 31
Ellen Wiesbrock
Programme Officer East Africa, Ghana and Nigeria
E-mail: wiesbrock(at)deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 87 43 30
Agnès Bel
Administration and Foreign Languages
E-mail: bel(at)deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 09 47 27
Njogou Tamba
Working Student
E-mail: tamba(at)deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 09 47 27
Marie Klostermeier
Project Assistant
E-mail: team(at)deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 09 47 27
Jule Steinmann
Project Assistant
E-mail: team(at)deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 28 09 47 27
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.
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.
President of the German Africa Foundation
Spokesperson for foreign cultural policy of the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen Parliamentary Group
Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on Water and Sanitation
G-8 Africa Representative of the Federal Chancellor
Parliamentary State Secretary at the BMZ
Member of Parliament for the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen Parliamentary Group
Vice-Chairwoman of the Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development
Mitglied des Bundestags der Fraktion Bündnis 90/Die Grünen
Bild: test
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.
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.
Dr Wolfgang Stefinger MP
Vice-President
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.
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.
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.
Jürgen Coße MP
Assessor
Jürgen Coße has been a member of the German Bundestag for the SPD parliamentary group since 2021, to which he previously belonged from 2016 to 2017. Since 2025, he has been a full member of the Committee on European Union Affairs and the Committee on Housing, Urban Development, Building and Local Government, as well as a deputy member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. He is also his parliamentary group’s spokesperson on local government policy. Since this legislative period, he has chaired the SPD parliamentary group’s Africa discussion group.
Udo Hahn
Assessor
Udo Hahn is Director of the Protestant Academy Tutzing on Lake Starnberg and Chairman of the Board of the Association of Protestant Academies in Germany. Previously, the Protestant theologian, pastor and publicist had been Head of the Media and Journalism Department of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) since 2005.
Dr Andrea Hauser
Assessor
Since September 2021, Dr Andrea Hauser has been a member of the Executive Board of KfW Development Bank and heads the Non-Financial Risks, Equity Investments and
MENA division. Since January 2026, she has also taken over as head of the Sub-Saharan Africa division.
Markus Koob MP
Assessor
Markus Koob has been a CDU member of the German Bundestag since 2013. He is a full member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and a deputy member of the Committee for Education, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. Since 2025, he is leading the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s Africa working group.
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.
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 Attaché at the Permanent Representation of Germany to the European Union for three years.
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.
Awet Tesfaiesus MP
Assessor
Awet Tesfaiesus has been a member of the German Bundestag for the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen parliamentary group since 2021. She is the spokesperson for cultural and media policy for the Green Party’s parliamentary group in the Bundestag, a full member of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Consumer Protection, and a deputy member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Subcommittee on Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy. She is also chairwoman of the Southern Africa Parliamentary Group.
Derya Türk-Nachbaur MP
Assessor
Derya Türk-Nachbaur has been a member of the Bundestag for the SPD parliamentary group since 2021 and has also been the parliamentary secretary of her parliamentary group since 2025. Since this legislative period, she has been a member of the Bundestag’s Council of Elders, a full member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and a deputy member of the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid.
Nicolas Zippelius MP
Assessor
Nicolas Zippelius has been a member of the German Bundestag for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group since 2021. Since 2023, he has been an assessor on the state executive committee of the CDU in Baden-Württemberg. In the Bundestag, he is a full member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development. He is his parliamentary group’s spokesperson on development policy.
Bruno Wenn
Chairman
Show Biography →
Bruno Wenn
Chairman
Chairman European Development Finance Institutions
Spokesman of the Management Board of the Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft
Head of Africa Department, KfW Bankgruppe
Dr Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate
Member
Dr Karamba Diaby
Member
Show Biography →
Dr Karamba Diaby
Member
Member of the parliamentary party executive of the SPD parliamentary group, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development and the Subcommittee on Global Health.
Integration Commissioner of the SPD Parliamentary Group and Member of the Parliamentary Group Executive Committee
Officer in the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the State of Saxony-Anhalt
City council in Halle an der Saale
Helmut Gauges
Member
Show Biography →
Helmut Gauges
Member
Member of the Business Unit Management
KfW Development Bank
Financial Cooperation with Africa
Gabriele Groneberg
Member
Prof Emeritus Robert Kappel
Member
Show Biography →
Prof Emeritus Robert Kappel
Member
President of the German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) in Hamburg and Professor at the University of Hamburg
Professor at the Institute for African Studies at the University of Leipzig and founder of the study program Small Enterprises and Training
Research Associate of the postgraduate programme Third World Studies at the University of Bremen
Volkmar Klein
Member
Show Biography →
Volkmar Klein
Member
Mitglied im Ausschuss für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung Entwicklungspolitischer Sprecher der CDU/CSU-Fraktion im Deutschen Bundestag Stellvertretendes Mitglied im Haushaltsausschuss Mitglied des Aufsichtsrates der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Mitglied im Haushaltsausschuss und im Unterausschuss zu Fragen der Europäischen Union Entwicklungspolitischer Sprecher der CDU/CSU-Bundestagsfraktion
Egon Kochanke
Member
Show Biography →
Egon Kochanke
Member
Ambassador in Dar es Salaam, for Tanzania and the Comoros
Regional Representative for Sub-Saharan Africa and Sahel at the German Department of Foreign Affairs
Ambassador to Namibia in Windhoek
Assignments abroad and positions at the Federal Foreign Office
Dr Stefan Mair
Member
Show Biography →
Dr Stefan Mair
Member
Member of the Executive Board of the Federation of German Industries
Research Director at Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP)
Member of the SWP Institute Management
Research group leader of the SWP
Africa Consultant at the SWP
Dr Michael Rabbow
Member
Show Biography →
Dr Michael Rabbow
Member
Chairman of the GIZ Economic Advisory Board; Member of the Africa Advisory Board of the German Healthcare Partnership (GHP); Senior Advisor for E&P Focus Africa Consulting GmbH
Team Leader of Corporate Public Affairs at Boehringer Ingelheim
Chief Medical Officer for the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs in Namibia
Katja Scherer
Member
Marina Schuster
Member
Show Biography →
Marina Schuster
Member
Freelance political analyst and intercultural trainer
Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; Vice-Chairwoman of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Member of Parliament; Member of the Committee of Foreign Affairs and Chairwoman of the Committee for Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid
Johannes Singhammer
Member
Show Biography →
Johannes Singhammer
Member
Vizepräsident des Deutschen Bundestages
stellvertretender Fraktionsvorsitzender der CDU/CSU-Fraktion im Deutschen Bundestag für die Bereiche Gesundheit, Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz
Vorsitzender der AG Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend der CDU/CSU- Fraktion
Internships
50 % Teilzeit | TVöD E9a | befristet bis zum 31.8.2028
Die DAS ist eine überparteiliche Stiftung, die sich für die erfolgreiche Umsetzung der afrikapolitischen Leitlinien der deutschen Bundesregierung einsetzt. Sie fördert den partnerschaftlichen Austausch zwischen deutschen und afrikanischen Akteurinnen und Akteuren und macht sich für ein differenziertes Afrikabild in der Öffentlichkeit stark. Ein besonderer Fokus liegt hierbei auf der Vermittlung von afrikapolitischen Themen in den Deutschen Bundestag. Die DAS wird institutionell vom Auswärtigen Amt gefördert.
Im neu geschaffenen, projektgebundenen Bereich Diaspora Affairs arbeitet die DAS daran, die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Politik und afrikanischen Diasporagemeinschaften in Deutschland und Europa stärker zu strukturieren und deren Einbindung in Entwicklungs- und internationale Zusammenarbeit zu fördern. In diesem Rahmen agiert die DAS auch als strategischer Partner des BMZ-geförderten, von der EU- und der Gates Foundation kofinanzierten und durch die GIZ implementierten Projekts WIDU.africa. Hier koordiniert die DAS ein wachsendes Netzwerk von Diaspora Botschafterinnen und Botschaftern und Multiplikatorinnen und Multiplikatoren (Focal Persons) in Europa und trägt dazu bei, mehr Menschen aus der Diaspora für Instrumente und Möglichkeiten der Entwicklungs- und internationalen Zusammenarbeit zu erreichen und zu mobilisieren.
Es handelt sich um eine unabhängige Projektstelle in Teilzeit (50%), die bei der Deutschen Afrika Stiftung angesiedelt und bis zum 31.8.2028 befristet ist. Sie unterstützt unmittelbar den Senior Manager Diaspora Affairs bei der administrativen, finanziellen und organisatorischen Umsetzung der Aktivitäten des Arbeitsbereichs.
Ihre Aufgaben
- Bearbeitung von administrativen Aufgaben im Bereich Diaspora Affairs
- Pflege und Weiterentwicklung von Beleg-, Dokumentations- und Ablagesystemen
- Unterstützung in der Finanzverwaltung (Buch- und Belegführung, Mittelanforderungen beim Zuwendungsgeber, etc.)
- Durchführung von Beschaffungen, Vergabewesen
- Organisation von Reisen im In- und Ausland und abschließender Reisekostenabrechnung
- Pflege von Finanz-, Vertrags- und Projektübersichten sowie Fristen
- administrative Betreuung des europäischen Diaspora-Focal-Person-Netzwerks (Englisch/Französisch) inkl. Vorbereitung und Anpassung von Verträgen auf Basis bestehender Vorlagen und Rahmenbedingungen
- Termin- und Kalendermanagement
- Unterstützung bei organisatorischen Fragen des Veranstaltungsmanagements
- Recherchen und Aufbereitung von Informationen für Termine, Briefings und Hintergrunddokumente
- Datenbankpflege
- Korrespondenz in Englisch und Französisch
Ihr Profil
- eine relevante, abgeschlossene Berufsausbildung, etwa im Bereich der Büroverwaltung
- erste praktische Erfahrung in Projektassistenz, Verwaltung, Projektadministration oder internationaler Zusammenarbeit von Vorteil
- ein gutes Zahlenverständnis, erste Erfahrung in der Haushaltsführung, im Rechnungswesen sowie in der Projektarbeit von Vorteil
- sicherer Umgang mit MS Office, insbesondere Excel, Word, Power Point, Outlook und Teams
- ausgezeichnete mündliche und schriftliche Ausdrucksfähigkeit in Deutsch, Englisch (C1), gute Französischkenntnisse (B1-B2) nach EU-Referenzrahmen
- Interesse und Kenntnisse an afrikanischen Diasporagemeinschaften und an Themen der internationalen und Entwicklungszusammenarbeit
- Interkulturelle Kompetenz, Freude an der Zusammenarbeit mit unterschiedlichen Akteurinnen und Akteuren einem internationalen Umfeld
- eine sehr strukturierte, sorgfältige und zuverlässige Arbeitsweise
- hohes Maß an Eigeninitiative und Verantwortungsbewusstsein
- professionelles, souveränes und freundliches Auftreten
- Kenntnisse in Zuwendungs- und Vergaberecht von Vorteil
Von Vorteil sind Erfahrungen mit öffentlich oder institutionell geförderten Projekten sowie mit Mittelanforderungen, Verwendungsnachweisen oder Projektabrechnungen.
Wir bieten
- eine voraussichtlich bis zum 31.8.2028 mit Sachgrund befristete Einstellung in Teilzeit (50 %, 19,5 Stunden). Die Stelle ist projektgebunden, das Projekt ist bis zum 31.8.2028 bewilligt.
- Vergütung in Anlehnung an TVöD E9a, inkl. Jahressonderzahlung
- ein kleines Team, das Wert legt auf eine nette Atmosphäre, offene Kommunikation und konstruktive Fehlerkultur
- Dienstort Berlin, anteilige Telearbeit möglich
- eine abwechslungsreiche Tätigkeit an der Schnittstelle von Diaspora, internationaler Zusammenarbeit, Politik und Projektadministration
- eigenverantwortliches Arbeiten in einem internationalen und politisch anspruchsvollen und dynamischen Arbeitsumfeld
Die Vergütung erfolgt angelehnt an den Tarifvertrag für den öffentlichen Dienst (TVöD-Bund Tarifgebiet Ost), die Eingruppierung erfolgt bei Erfüllung der personen- und tätigkeitsbezogenen tariflichen Voraussetzungen in die Entgeltgruppe 9a des TVöD Bund. Informationen zum TVöD finden Sie auf der Homepage des Bundesministeriums des Innern, für Bau und Heimat unter www.bmi.bund.de und unter dem Link https://bezuegerechner.bva.bund.de.
Bewerbung
Bitte senden Sie Ihre aussagekräftigen Bewerbungsunterlagen mit Lebenslauf, Motivationsschreiben und relevanten Zeugnissen sowie unter Angabe Ihres möglichen Eintrittstermins an:
bewerbung@deutsche-afrika-stiftung.de
Bewerbungsfrist: 13.9.2026 (23:59 Uhr)
Die Deutsche Afrika Stiftung begrüßt Bewerbungen unabhängig von Geschlecht, Nationalität, ethnischer und sozialer Herkunft, Religion oder Weltanschauung, Behinderung, Alter sowie sexueller Orientierung und Identität.