Germany’s Scholz starts first trip to Africa since taking office

dpa Dakar German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Dakar, Senegal on Sunday for his first trip to Africa since taking office some six months ago. During h...

dpa DakarGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Dakar, Senegal on Sunday for his first trip to Africa since taking office some six months ago.During his three-nation visit - Senegal, Niger and South Africa - the consequences of the war in Ukraine are expected to be a major topic, as the Russian blockade of Ukrainian grain exports has exacerbated the food crisis on the continent, especially in East Africa.The former German ambassador to Moscow said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is deliberately aiming to trigger a famine in the Middle East and Africa.The Kremlin’s goal is to destabilize Europe through a massive refugee influx, Rüdiger von Fritsch told Sunday’s edition of the Tagesspiegel newspaper.Despite this, several African countries have not clearly condemned the Russian invasion so far.Climate change, economic cooperation, the fight against pandemics and the strengthening of democracies in Africa are also to be discussed during Scholz’s trip.Scholz is to visit the three countries in three days. Senegal currently holds the presidency of the African Union and was among the guest nations invited to the G7 summit in Germany at the end of June.Niger is seen by the German government as an “anchor of stability” in the Sahel region, where several terrorist groups have been stoking fears for many years, while South Africa is considered a key partner of Germany with close economic, political and cultural ties.Expectations ahead of the chancellor’s visit are high among aid organizations.The World Vision group said that former chancellor Angela Merkel had placed too much focus on “migration defence” since 2015 and that this must stop, according to Ekkehard Forberg, responsible for humanitarian crises at the organization.“From Chancellor Scholz we expect policies on a level playing field,” he said. Ekkerhard added that Germany should not impose “paternalistic solutions” on the continent, but support the concepts developed by the countries themselves.German industry also believes that a reorientation of development policy is necessary to combat a looming food crisis in Africa.“We need more investment in local food production and distribution.Africa does not want donations, but help to take matters into its own hands,” Stefan Liebing, chairman of the German-African Business Association (AV), said on Sunday.In view of Scholz’s visit, he called for a better cooperation in investment and job creation.Liebing added that Africa could help with gas supply in the short term, amid tensions with Russia due to the war in Ukraine, and become the most important supplier of green hydrogen in the medium term.In addition, the continent could make an important contribution to the diversification of supply chains. “We should use Germany’s G7 presidency to conclude a comprehensive deal for investments in sustainable technologies with Africa,” he said.The AV said that many of its more than 3,400 German and European mechanical and plant manufacturing companies have recognized Africa’s market potential, but were still hesitant to enter the market.Since taking office, Scholz has only visited Germany’s closest allies outside Europe: the United States, Israel and Japan.