Africa: German Chancellor Angela Merkel Visit Aimed at Fostering Cooperation
By Eunice Kilonzo
Kenya---German Chancellor Angela Merkel will this week visit three African nations to discuss economic cooperation, specifically in the energy sector. The two-day trip will see her travel to Kenya, Nigeria and Angola from Today.
Before making her trip to Africa, Merkel met the chairman of the Commission of the African Union (AU) Dr. Jean Ping in Berlin to review pertinent issues facing the African continent. This will be her second Africa tour since becoming chancellor in 2005.
Chancellor Merkel and Chairperson Ping had extensive discussions on issues of mutual interest, including Libya, Sudan, and other situations on the continent, as well as bilateral cooperation between the AU and Germany. Dr. Ping stressed the encouraging developments in Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and South Sudan and the need for adequate international support to assist these two countries and consolidate the gains they made.
On her part, Chancellor Merkel emphasized the importance Germany attaches to the AU and its key role in promoting peace, security, and development in Africa. She pledged continued support to the AU’s efforts aimed at achieving these goals, reports said.
"I want to show that Germany takes very seriously the development of the African continent," Merkel said in a weekly statement published on her office's website Saturday.
"Germany wants to play a supportive role," the statement said, explaining that Merkel will visit "three large economies facing major problems in establishing stable political structures".
In Kenya, Merkel today is scheduled to meet President Mwai Kibaki, and plans to promote renewable energy, Germany’s forte. The Chancellor will hold a joint press conference with the Prime Minister. Later in the day, she will give a public lecture at the University of Nairobi.
The chancellor will discuss cooperation in the raw material sector in Angola, a country that relies heavily on petroleum exports, the statement said. Angola's blooming oil industry has helped the country establish one of the highest annual economic growth rates in Africa.
Merkel, who is set to return to Germany on Thursday, will also meet with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.
The German leader is also expected to discuss reforms on the UN Security Council, where Africa is lobbying for two permanent seats. A source within Merkel's office said some economic cooperation agreements would be signed on the trip.
Africa enjoys good relations with Germany, which has continued to fund big sums of money in various developmental projects across the continent. Germany has been a good partner with Africa in areas of travel and tourism through business exchange programs, visits, and tourism marketing campaigns. East Africa is part of key destinations for German tourists loving to visit wildlife parks in Kenya and Tanzania, with additional Mount Kilimanjaro climbing.
Ms Merkel took over as Chancellor in 2005 before being re-elected in 2009. She made her first four-day visit to Africa in 2007 where she spoke about ways to fight disease and poverty and to improve human rights. She toured Ethiopia, South Africa and Liberia. At the time she visited wearing the hats of a humanitarian, a corruption-fighter and a peace-maker as well as the head of the Group of Eight industrialized nations, aiming to address issues of poverty, disease and human rights.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barrack Obama are among Western leaders who have visited Africa in recent years.