The closed roundtable was a private discussion forum involving selected participants and was designed to facilitate an open and in-depth exchange of views in a confidential setting.

We were particularly pleased to have been able to bring together a diverse range of voices from the worlds of politics and practice to open the evening’s proceedings. Among those providing input were Dr Bärbel Kofler, Parliamentary State Secretary at the BMZ, Shadrack Mwadime, State Secretary for Labour and Skills Development of the Republic of Kenya; Gesa Bräutigam, Commissioner for Sub-Saharan Africa and the Sahel at the Federal Foreign Office; and Ludwig Jung, Ambassador for International Migration Cooperation at the Federal Ministry of the Interior.

In addition, His Excellency Eskindir Yirga Asfaw, Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, provided strategic input on the outcomes of the preliminary discussions held with representatives of African embassies, German federal ministries and the private sector on the topic of labour and skilled worker mobility. The focus was on the key findings from the preparatory process and shared priorities.

During the dinner discussion that followed, the various perspectives and challenges identified were brought together. The aim was to identify common ground, openly address obstacles and discuss opportunities for further joint action.

The insights gained from this provided an important basis for the rest of the summit and for cross-organisational cooperation beyond it.