09
Sep
2021
Publications Études de l'Ifri
President Kagame meets with Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the G20 Compact with Africa Conference | Berlin, October 30, 2018
Adrian SCHLEGEL, Aram ZIAI

Germany’s Africa Politics: Renewal of an Unequal Cooperation? Etudes de l'Ifri, September 2021

In recent years, Germany’s Africa politics have been characterized by proactive international initiatives and the claim for a "partnership at eye level". However, a look at the power constellations of its cooperation indicates that inequalities are – contrary to Germany’s own claims – rather reproduced than reduced.

A historical account of German-African relations shows that the colonial legacy still strongly shapes cooperation today. A consequent discussion of current configurations and actors in Germany’s Africa policy reveals a moderately coordinated mosaic of schemes that is geared to geopolitical interests. The imperative to reduce migration is revealed to function as the central domestic legitimization for German engagements with African states, having problematic implications for human rights. Another hallmark is the promotion of Germany’s businesses through policies of liberalization, carrying political/economic risks on the local level. The promising cooperation on climate issues is currently dominated by German visions for transformation, while approaches of critical partnership are becoming visible in cultural policy projects. The contribution concludes with practical perspectives for emancipatory German-African cooperation.

 

Aram Ziai teaches at the University in Kassel in the degree courses Political Sciences and Global Political Economy and Development. Prior to that he taught at the Universities of Amsterdam, Vienna, Accra, Tehran, Bonn, and Hamburg. From 2009 to 2021 he acted as the spokesperson of the section dealing with Development Theory and Development Policy at the German Union for Political Sciences.

Adrian Schlegel studied Political Sciences and Administration Studies and is currently part of the Global Studies Program with a focus on social sciences of the University Jawaharlal Nehru, the University of Pretoria, and the Humboldt University in Berlin. He is dealing with questions like decolonization and global solidarity.

 

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Keywords
Comprehensive European Union Strategy with Africa Development policy G20 Compact with Africa genocide German colonial territories German migratory policy Herero and Nama Official development assistance (ODA) restitution of colonial objects Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Africa Germany