It will take time, but Africa will be a rich continent.
According to Helmut Gauges, Manager of KfW, the Credit Bank for Reconstruction, it will take time, but Africa will be a rich continent. This statement appears in an interview with the Portuguese newspaper “Diário de Notícias”, during his stay in Portugal to participate in a seminar co-organized by the German Embassy in Portugal and the European Academy in Berlin.
In the seminar, under the motto "German European policy at the historic dawn of a new era“, there was talk about the new policy of cooperation with Africa drawn up by the German government led by Olaf Scholz, which brings together social democrats, ecologists and liberals.
The interview
In the interview, Gauges explained that Germany has a brief history of colonization in Africa and, therefore, the country's image is positive in most of its African counterparts. He pointed out that Germany is more interested in Africa's development than in financial cooperation.
Furthermore, when Germany cooperates with Africa, it sets very demanding ethical, human rights and environmental criteria, which must be accepted by local governments.
The KfW manager stated that the difference in development between Portuguese, English or French colonized countries is not due to the colonizer, but to the population, education, freedom of the press, democratic structures and awareness of building a country.
He also stated that it is difficult to generalize about Africa and that each country is different. For example, he cited Niger and Malawi, which have functioning democratic systems.
“I think Africa is a very big continent and each country is different, just like in Europe. It is difficult to say that one part of Africa is one thing and another part is something else”. Gauges said.
Regarding cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries, KfW only has projects with Mozambique, but Gauges pointed out that Cape Verde is a good example of development in Africa. He also highlighted Angola as a country that is in the process of building the State and the Nation.
He believes that Africa is a rich continent, with unlimited resources, from minerals to energy, but it lacks structure and good governance, as well as the ability to develop infrastructure.
Germany's interest
Gauges stated that Germany has been more interested in Africa in the last ten years, as there are problems on the continent that impact Europe, such as migratory pressure. He also stated that Europe's economic interest in Africa has increased.
In addition, the manager highlighted the importance of the role of women in the society of these countries and that German companies are going to invest in countries with reforms that help the economy, help export and import, and with infrastructure sustained and promoted by KfW .
Finally, Gauges said that KfW works mainly with government funds, but when a country has a favorable rating, the bank uses financial resources to expand financing such as credit.
He believes that the next German policy plan for Africa is ambitious because the problems are big on the continent and Germany and Europe need to have ambitious plans to help and cooperate.
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Picture: © 2022 Francisco Lopes-Santos
