GERMAN CHANCELLOR SCHOLZ PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR AFRICA IN FACE OF FOOD CRISIS

Mon 23 May 2022:

On Sunday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed his country’s support for African countries hit by the global food crisis and offered Senegal gas production cooperation.

Scholz said it made sense to establish such a collaboration because gas production was a “common concern” when speaking in Dakar during the first stage of a three-country tour to Africa.

After holding talks with Senegalese President Macky Sall, Scholz referred to the development of a gas field off the West African coast in cooperation with Senegal and Mauritania.

Sall said Senegal was ready to supply Europe with gas in the face of a possible suspension of deliveries from Russia.

Regarding the current food crisis, the German chancellor warned that many countries could face difficulties in feeding their populations.

Germany would do everything in its power to counteract this, he said.

Russia’s blockade of wheat exports from Ukraine has pushed up food prices and exacerbated existing food crises, particularly in the East African countries of Somalia, Ethiopia and northern Kenya, which have been hit by drought.

“Many countries around the world are affected by this war,” Scholz said.

Scholz’s first trip to Africa since entering office six months ago is stopping in Dakar. Niger and South Africa are two other destinations on the three-day journey.

The German government views Niger as a source of stability in the Sahel region, where many terrorist groups have stoked worries for years, while South Africa is regarded as a crucial economic, political, and cultural partner of Germany.

Aid organizations had high expectations for the chancellor’s visit.

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel has put too much emphasis on “migration defense” since 2015, according to World Vision’s Ekkehard Forberg, who is 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 light of Scholz’s visit, he urged for greater investment and job development cooperation.

In the short term, Africa could help with gas supply owing to concerns with Russia over the Ukraine conflict, and in the medium term, Africa could become the most important provider of green hydrogen.

Scholz has only visited Germany’s closest allies outside of Europe since becoming office: the United States, Israel, and Japan.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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