The New Africa Concept
2010/05/04
Enhance Influence
In their coalition agreement, the CDU/CSU and the FDP have already announced their plans for a new Africa Concept. The concept is to implicate all ministries dealing with Africa, because in the past particularly the Foreign and the so called Development Ministry had not always coordinated their activities in Africa and at times even worked in open rivalry to one another. The new strategy involving all the concerned ministries is aimed at coordinating German policy on the African continent to enhance its influence. The Foreign Ministry is in charge of drafting the concept, which, according to the Minister of Development, Dirk Niebel (FDP), is to be agreed upon by all the concerned ministries before summer recess.[1]
Business Promotion
The Association of German Development NGOs (VENRO) is strongly criticizing the first drafts of this new Africa concept. VENRO represents approx. 120 NGOs, including important partner organisations in German development policy, which are engaged also in Africa. The association was therefore invited to official "consultations" on the concept at the end of March.[2] VENRO reported that even though its member organizations had only received a "rough outline", the main features of the concept have already become clear: "a Euro-centrist approach" that reduces "cooperation with Africa to a paternalism, believed to have long since been overcome." One also notices a "fundamental change of policy," elevating "business promotion" to development policy's primary maxim. VENRO is demanding that Africa policy in the future be focused on the basic needs of African populations, particularly in medical care as well as sufficient food production.[3]
Development Policy: A Means to an End
As a matter of fact, the new Africa concept is based on plans promoted particularly by Development Minister Niebel. These plans include more than merely closer cooperation between the foreign and development ministries. Before he took office, Niebel had called for the elimination of the development ministry and is now promoting a close linkage between his ministry and the foreign ministry ("foreign and development policy forming an integrated whole") with the aim of using development structures for business expansion. Soon after taking office, Niebel emphasized before the German-African Business Association, that the ministry must be seen not "as an international welfare office," but should rather be oriented on its proper name - "Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development". "Development is needed to permit economic cooperation."[4] According to Niebel, his plans are being facilitated by the fact that not only the foreign and development ministries are headed by FDP ministers, but the ministry of the economy, as well. "Once we have agreed upon the central points - where development cooperation ends and foreign economic promotion policy begins - we can then also quickly pass the baton."
Business Breakfast Africa
The coordination between the various ministries as well as between the government and businesses has been making headway. Just last week, the foreign ministry held a "Business Breakfast Africa", attended by not only representatives of the FDP headed foreign, development and economy ministries, but, according to the director of the "Africa and Latin America" section of the FDP affiliated Friedrich Naumann Foundation, who reported that she had also attended the "Business Breakfast", company representatives had been particularly invited since "German development cooperation" should be "stronger oriented towards business cooperation" and "incorporate, to a greater extent, German private companies". The occasion provided business representatives with an opportunity to complain "about serious investment problems in Africa" to Ghanaian parliamentarians, who had been invited by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation to visit Germany.[5] Otherwise the discussion focused on "the objectives of and expectations in the German government's new Africa Concept".
Energy Issues
Business interests were also focused on Africa's raw materials. "Bilateral strategic business partnerships should be elaborated" within the framework of the new Africa Concept and "the cooperation with the energy sector enhanced", explained Hans-Joachim Otto (FDP), Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry of Economics, recently at the "5th German-African Energy Forum." Due to its high dependency on access to energy resources, Berlin will "cooperate even closer on energy issues" with African countries.[6] Energy supply is "a particularly important political element of the strategic partnership with Africa."[7] The Eon Corp. (in Essen) succeeded, with considerable political support, in gaining a foothold in the West African energy sector (particularly in Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, german-foreign-policy.com reported [8]). Following the "German-African Energy Dialogue" during the Hannover Messe, the German-African Business Association announced an "Energy Congress Ghana" for yesterday, May 3, at which Ghana's Minister of Energy and various other experts were to be on hand to report on their country's newest oil and gas discoveries off the coast and for business talks. In the future, this sort of event will receive stronger government support - within the framework of the new common Africa Concept of the ministries of economy, foreign affairs and development.
Further information on the stronger orientation of "development policy" on the economic interests can be found here: Ministry to Accompany Expansion and Poverty Business (I).
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