“Africa needs its youth”

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More Jobs, more investment, more prosperity: At the G20-Africa summit in Berlin, advised heads of state, with the Federal government on a new partnership. However, the plans do not appeal to everyone. Daniel Pelz reported.

Alassane Ouattara had the laughs on his side. Jokingly suggested the Ivorian President, to call the Federal government’s plans for a new partnership with Africa, but the same, “Merkel plan”. As Chancellor Merkel already since the beginning of the German presidency of the G20 for the continent.

Again the German Chancellor reiterated in her opening speech at the G20-Africa summit. “The good development of the world will not work if not all the continents in such a development be a part of,” said Merkel. “This means of course that the African continent must be put in its development path in the coming years and dynamic.”

With its Africa commitment, the Federal government hand combines solid targets. The Chancellor made it clear at the beginning of the Africa summit. “If there is on the continent a lot of hopelessness, young people say: We need to look elsewhere in the world, a new life,” said Angela Merkel. “By working together with them, for their countries, we are also creating more security for us,” she said in the direction of the African heads of state.

Many countries showed impressive growth rates, said Angela Merkel. In many countries, the economic development would remain but behind the level that would be in the face of population growth is necessary. For the young Africans entering the labour market, this is a big Problem.

Two days lecturing heads of state, heads of government and Ministers from Africa and Europe to each other

More than just economic cooperation

The cooperation should not be limited solely to the economy, said Angela Merkel. “The partnership with Africa on the one hand, to economic development, on the other hand, also the need to promote peace, stability and security, therefore, is to first create the basic conditions to ensure that economic activities can be carried out at all.”

At the two-day Meeting in Berlin, the economic standing scientific relations at the center. The core of the German G20 commitment to so-called “Compact with Africa”. Five African countries – the ivory coast, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, and Tunisia – do not want to take these partnerships. The African countries committed to reform, to private investors. Several G20 countries and international organisations they support. With the ivory coast, Tunisia and Ghana, the Federal government has closed also so-called “reform partnerships”. In the framework of the Initiative, you get 300 million euros in addition.

“We need a strong participation of the private sector,” said the Chairman of the African Union, Alpha Condé. Africa must authorize urgent industrial. The continent had to offer to foreign investors. “Our lack of infrastructure is a Problem, but also an opportunity for investors,” said Condé . According to estimates of approximately 130 billion US dollars are solely in the area of the infrastructure per year is needed.

More commitment from Africa

The summit is being held under high security measures

Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo called on the governments of the continent to more private involvement. “If we want to reform our stagnant economy, which is still based on the Export of raw materials, in order to create jobs and strong middle classes emerge, then we must take our destiny into our own Hand,” said Akufo-Addo. Too many young Africans to take terrible risks in order to lead a better life in Europe. In Africa need his youth, urgently: “If we can offer you the right environment in which you develop your skills, good vocational education and training received, and access to digital technologies can get, then you are going to make our continent great.”

However, the focus on private investment for Africa’s not for everybody. The left development politicians Niema Movassat called it the two-day conference “fire-dangerous” for the future of the continent. “It serves only the economic interests of rich countries and their corporations to hedge to the African markets,” said Movassat. Also, the Greens are calling for a Social in a position paper, binding and of human rights standards for projects under the Compact. “For the completion of the partnerships there are no Social and environmental criteria, and no binding to human rights due Diligence called,” said the President of the Evangelical aid organization “bread for the world Cornelia Füllkrug-Weitzel of the Newspapers of the Funke media group.