Malheureusement, cet événement s’est déroulé exclusivement en anglais, c’est pourquoi le résumé n’est disponible que dans cette langue. Nous essayons toujours d’élargir notre offre en langue française et vous remercions de votre compréhension.

The new German Federal Government has announced a foreign policy guided by economic interests and has stated in its coalition agreement that future German Africa policy should reflect the strategic importance of the African continent by focusing more strongly on economic cooperation. But what does this mean in concrete terms, and what do African partners and the German business community expect from such a policy?

These questions were at the heart of this year’s reception in honor of the African Diplomatic Corps, hosted by the German Africa Foundation (DAS) together with the Sub-Saharan Africa Initiative of German Business (SAFRI).

Thomas Schäfer, Chair of the Sub-Saharan Africa Initiative of German Business (SAFRI), opened the evening with a video message. Dr. Volker Treier, Head of Foreign Trade and member of the Executive Board of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), and Dr. Uschi Eid, President of the German Africa Foundation, then welcomed the guests.

Following the opening, H.E. Zohour Alaoui, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, H.E. Louise Nzanga Ramazani, Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Wolfgang Niedermark, Member of the Executive Board of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), and Marcus Schwenke, Head of Department at the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services (BGA), discussed expectations for an economy-driven Africa policy and the potential for a partnership-based cooperation.

The keynote speech was delivered by Serap Güler, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office. The event was moderated by Sabine Odhiambo, Secretary General of the German Africa Foundation.

A summary of the event is available as a PDF for download.