Germany and Africa: Building Partnerships for Sustainable Growth

We do have that conversation teased to a little earlier from the Hamburg Sustainability Conference. Gottfried Murtizwe is there and he did catch up with Niels Annen. And let's listen in on the conversation they had. Look, I am very excited that so many guests are here talking about the implementation of the SDG agenda. We all just came from New York from that historic summit of the future, but we are very much aware of that we are lacking behind. We need to create a space with those actors, civil society, government representatives, but at the end of the day also the international financial institution and private sector need to come together. We need to boost investment, especially in Africa, but also in other parts of the globe. And we want to create an annual platform for those leaders to meet. So this is the first step, it's a big step for us, but we are excited to do it. Who do you want sitting at the table in a conversation such as this? Because we speak often about the need to integrate the private sector, but we do not have the platforms upon which we can invite them to participate in a more meaningful way. Yeah, absolutely, I couldn't agree more. That's why also Germany has put an initiative first to reform the international financial institutions. I would say both in terms of decision making, who has a seat at the table, it needs to be more representative, but we need to be more in a different mood. We need to take more risks. The World Bank has already changed, initiated that change, and Chancellor Schultz inaugurated that conference, put forward the 305 million pledge for what we call hybrid capital, so we can leverage. But politicians cannot take away the entire risk for companies to invest. We need to do better with guarantee schemes, and that's what we are working on, with the World Bank, with the multilateral development banks, but also with the private sector. And I think, especially in Africa, there are so many countries that are offering opportunities. And there is some job that needs to be done from African leaders to make clear what their agenda is all about. But here we try in Hamburg to bring the decision makers together, and we want also the IFIs more to work as a system. Too much has been done in silos. We cannot afford that to continue. What's your view in terms of the current structures that we have at the multilateral level? I mean, I ask the question because, as you know, from here in Germany, there is a war in Europe for the first time, a major war since 1945. And at the same time, we're talking about global tensions between East and West, North and South. You sit at the center. What's your sense in terms of the political willingness of the political leaders to enact systems that work? I'm not saying let's replace the old. I'm asking if we need new ones. Look, I think there's one clear message from Hamburg. The chancellor was just here, made an important speech. Europe, Germany, of course, cares about what is happening in our neighborhood. Everybody cares about what's happening in their neighborhood. And Russia's war against Ukraine has an impact politically, economically. But we know that we need to do all things at once. We need to address Ukraine, but we need to address the SDG agenda. And we have been consistently engaging in a dialogue with leaders from the global South. And we invited them to Hamburg. And we engaged in that, also for our sometimes difficult discussion about IFI reform. So I think the message is clear. A rich country like Germany has a responsibility, but we need to build partnership. It can only work if there's trust. That's the most important commodity right now. And we're trying to make a contribution to regain trust. Absolutely. And I want to talk about partnerships. I want to talk about that trust that you talk about between Germany and Africa. Is this an opportunity for perhaps a resuscitation, if not a strengthening, of German-Africa relations, in particular because, obviously, of what we had in the past and also the challenges that we're facing at the moment? What sort of opportunity do you see for strengthening that relationship? First of all, I think that Hamburg is a good place to talk about Africa because we had the G20 leaders' meeting in this very city, and we passed the Compact for Africa. Is that the only solution? Certainly not, but it shows that there are growth opportunities, that there are investment opportunities for European countries. But it's a political question if we will be going to be able to channel those investments into Africa. And we need to acknowledge that many African economies made great progress, but then COVID struck. The international tensions diverted attention away from Africa. And I do think that the continent, with all its opportunities, also has to deal with the protected crisis. I'm talking about Sudan, I'm talking about still refugees being hosted by countries like Kenya, for example. Many Europeans are not aware of that fact, are not aware of the burden that many African countries have to bear. And we need to support our African partners in that, and we need to make clear to our own citizens that we are in this together. Africa is not something far away. In fact, it's our neighbouring country. Tell me what you need from the African side in return to the things that you are offering, the hand of friendship that you are offering to the continent. From a continental perspective, what would you like to see change? I ask the question as well because I had the World Bank president listing some of the key issues that ought to be addressed, like political stability and of course the need to put in regulated frameworks that are at least stable. Look, I'm not speaking on behalf of the private sector, but knowing our private sector well, they are open to engage. The German private sector, not only the big companies, but also family-owned companies are willing to invest. They want to know that they're in there for the long term. So you need stability, you need good governance, and you need to engage on a personal level. And we also, I think, need to make sure that there are many African countries who offer potential, but we should together look at regional potential. That's what we are trying to work with Ajay Manga and the World Bank and other leaders, to have, of course, country-based ideas, but we need to have a regional view when it comes to infrastructure, when it comes to also regional markets, addressing those needs. That's very attractive also for German companies, and that potential somehow has not been sufficiently understood.

20241007_Niels Annen

The 2024 Hamburg Sustainability Conference is currently underway in Germany. The conference brings global leaders together to tackle climate change, renewable energy, and social equity. 

The 2024 Hamburg Sustainability Conference is currently underway in Germany. The conference brings global leaders together to tackle climate change, renewable energy, and social equity. CNBC Africa’s Godfrey Mutizwa spoke to Niels Annen, Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry: Economic Cooperation & Development on the acceleration of SDG performance and the significance of global collaboration in fostering Africa’s growth.

Annen: We need to boost African investment

Related Videos

Trending Tokens

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Annen: We need to boost African investment

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

DAILY UPDATE

Related Videos

Trending Tokens

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Newsletters