Five Suggestions for Africa Policy after the German Federal Elections

The new German government will be expected to play a leading role on Africa policy within the European Union. The origins of this new and unfamiliar constellation lie in Washington’s withdrawal from multilateral engagement and France’s waning influence. Expectations are high, following on the outgoing government’s high-level engagement with African partners. Fulfilling them will be in Germany’s interest. Europe’s external trade, the future of multilateralism and the global standing of Germany and the EU all depend increasingly on good relations with Africa. So the incoming government will need to develop new strategic policy initiatives.

Five suggestions

In a new paper for the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Henrik Maihack, Head of the Africa Department at FES, puts forward five suggestions for the new German government’s Africa policy. These are, in short:

1. A new coordination mechanism for the Horn of Africa, comprising China, Türkiye and Germany (on behalf of the EU), to work with the African Union to stabilise this crucial region.
2. A strengthening of relations with the newly elected governments of South Africa and Ghana, which are crucial partners for addressing global problems (South Africa) and tackling regional crises (Ghana).
3. Support for African democracies through economic assistance in debt crises and dialogue with protest movements.
4. Closer geoeconomic ties between the European Union and the new African Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), modelled on the EU’s trade cooperation with other world regions.
5. Principled pragmatism within a more strategic value-based Africa policy, while acknowledging Germany’s historical responsibilities.