German chancellor in historic visit

One of the main purposes of the tour was to make visible Germany's commitment to strengthening political change and sustainable development in Africa. In particular, it was meant to intensify Germany's cooperation with the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), which calls for good governance and self-reliance in administrating state affairs.

Mr Gerhard Schroeder led a delegation of over 100, comprising ministers, MPs, 23 top business executives and journalists. Those in the entourage included the Federal minister for Economic Co-operation Mrs Heidemarie Wiekzorek-Zeul, the foreign and security policy adviser Mr Bernd Mutzelburg, Mr Thilo Hoppe of the Green Party parliamentary group, Mr Wolfgang Mayrhuber - the Lufthansa chief and Mr Gerhard Gauff, manager of Gauff Ingenieure GmbH &Co.

Schroeder’s is the second visit to Africa by a German chancellor, the first one having been made by Mr Helmut Kohl in 1997. Schroeder’s first stop was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he announced 650,000 euros in bilateral funding for African Union (AU) peace missions to Liberia, Sudan, Somalia and Burundi and said the European Union would soon unveil a significant contribution to AU peace efforts.

He said the continent could end its chronic wars only if it defeated the poverty and disease that created a "vicious cycle" of suffering. “Our joint efforts to achieve security and peace are doomed to failure if they do not also include the fight against hunger and poverty, the containment of AIDS and other diseases as well as the preservation of (Africa's) natural resources." Schroeder said in a speech at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.

Schroeder welcomed what he called Ethiopia's willingness to use dialogue to solve a border row with Eritrea less than four years after the Horn of Africa countries fought a brutal war.

In Kenya, Mr Schroeder’s itinerary included a visit to the UNEP headquarters in Gigiri, Nairobi, where he planted a commemorative tree. He also held discussions with UNEP’s Executive Director Dr Klaus Toepfer and UN-HABITAT’s Executive Director Dr (Mrs) Anna Tibaijuka. The chancellor announced that Germany would increase its funding to HABITAT to KES 50 million (555,555 euros) from the current KES 14 million (155,555 euros).

The chancellor also had a chance to see what Kenya offers for tourism. He visited the famous Nairobi National Park and asked the international community to help Kenya’s tourism and conservation efforts. Mr Schroeder also opened a new production line of the German company Biersdorf at Nairobi’s industrial area. He also laid a wreath at the mausoleum of the late founding president Jomo Kenyatta.

On his last day in Kenya, the chancellor, together with Trade and Industry minister Dr Mukhisa Kituyi co-chaired panel discussions on East African regional integration under the theme: “Regional integration: A challenge for political and economic development in East Africa”. The discussions, which brought together leading industrialists from East Africa and Kenya’s cabinet ministers were held at Nairobi’s Hotel Intercontinental, where Mr Schroeder was putting up.

Schroeder challenged Kenya to improve the quality of its coffee before exploring international markets. “You have heard from coffee experts that the coffee standards are not exactly the way they used to be. It is something that must be addressed before embarking on advanced processing”, he said.

Mr Schroeder declined to commit his government to specific trade deals with Kenya and Africa similar to the United States’ Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Instead, he suggested that local businesses seek more partnership with German firms outside his government’s involvement. Nevertheless, he pledged his government’s willingness to fund development of infrastructure in the African continent.

However, the greatest moment came on his second day in the country, when he held discussions with president Mwai Kibaki at State House, Nairobi. Later, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a bilateral agreement on co-operation and a trilateral joint “statement of intent” with the World Bank country representative Mr Maktar Diop, on the water sector.

The bilateral agreement was signed on behalf of Kenya by Finance minister Mr David Mwiraria while the Parliamentary State Secretary for Economic co-operation and development Dr(Mrs) Uschi Eid signed on behalf of Germany. The signing ceremony was covered by a battery of local and international journalists.

According to the agreement, Germany would double its aid to Kenya to 50 million euros (KES 4.6 billion) for the year 2004/2005. The money will be used to fund water, health and agricultural projects.

He praised Kenya’s peaceful political transition, saying it was a model for Africa. “Germany pays tribute to the reform efforts of the new government and actively supports Kenya in its historic transition”, he said. ‘The increased bilateral contribution underlines the fact that Kenya is a key partner for Germany in the region and a model for the continent”, added Mr Schroeder, who spoke through an interpreter.

Mr Schroeder praised the country’s efforts in the fight against terrorism, noting the problem was not limited to one country or region. “It is with great respect that we have been following this tremendous fight that this country has been waging on organized crime and international terrorism. You deserve our respect Mr president”, said Mr Schroeder.

Mr Kibaki said his government and Kenyans appreciated the assistance and would intensify the fight against terrorism and transnational crime. “Your visit reaffirms the excellent relations our nations have had for the last forty years”, enthused Mr Kibaki. He invited German investors to take advantage of the improved investment climate in Kenya.

In South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki announced after holding talks with Schroeder that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe had agreed to enter formal negotiations with the opposition aimed at ending the country’s spiralling political and economic crisis.

Mr Mbeki said his government has been “engaging both sides for a very long time.” “I am happy to say that in the end ... they have agreed that they will now go into formal negotiations,” he said.

However, Welshman Ncube, the secretary general of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe, said his party still doubted Mugabe would enter into talks.

“We have heard this sort of thing before. We remain sceptical. We will believe it when it happens,” said Ncube, adding: “It is better for Mugabe to speak out himself and say he is willing to talk unconditionally”.

Schroeder remarked that South Africa has “not been as outspoken and as hard as one might have expected” with Zimbabwe.

“I made myself very clear as far as the unacceptability of that regime is concerned, especially the political practices of that regime,” he said.

However, Schroeder praised the South Africa’s leadership for its role in promoting peace and stability. He said this at a meeting, which was also attended by business and trade union leaders, as well as officials at the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

Schroeder also said Germany supports South Africa's bid to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup tournament. "It will be right and appropriate for South Africa to be the hosts of the world soccer championships in 2010," he said.

He added that he believed his country's soccer chiefs would share and support his proclamation, saying the support would be "a service that a friend can pay to his friend".

Reacting to Schroeder's statement, the 2010 Bid Committee Chief Executive Officer Danny Jordaan described as important and a huge boost that such news came from Germany.

Schroeder wrapped up a three-day visit to South Africa with a tour of a health centre named after a black activist Stanza Bopape, who disappeared during the apartheid era. He presented the clinic with a fax and photocopier, saying: "I hope it will help you reach out to even more people in your community”.

He also interacted with the German business community. The 450 German companies in South Africa provide between 70,000 and 90,000 jobs.

For Ghana, the visit is even more historic, given that it is the first ever by a German leader. The German Chancellor held bilateral talks with President John Kufuor on various issues after they co-chaired the inauguration of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) at Teshie, Accra, on 24 Jan.

Kufuor named the main auditorium of the KAIPTC after Schroeder. He said the decision was in recognition of the special interest that he and the people of Germany had shown in the Centre. "Without your support we may perhaps not have reached this far in establishing this Centre," Kufuor said.

The Germans contributed 1.8 million Euros towards the building of the Centre while Canada, Italy, France, Netherlands, the UK and USA also gave some assistance. Schroeder said Germany was assisting Ghana because it had taken its destiny into its hands and was playing its part in global peace building.

During the visit, Germany cancelled US$16.4 million (145 billion cedis) Ghana owed her. An agreement to this effect was signed by Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, for Ghana while Mr Jurgen Chrobog, State Secretary in the Foreign Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany signed for his country.

Mr Osafo-Maafo told Journalists after the signing ceremony that the debt cancellation represented 100 per cent of Ghana's debts it owed to Germany ahead of Ghana reaching the completion point under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative in July.

After 42 years of fruitful cooperation, German assistance to Ghana stood at 1,142 million Euros in loans and grants. German financial cooperation commitment for 2001 and 2002 was 30.7 million Euros.

After spending a week in the continent, Schröder hopes to have driven home his point that Africa is not only about war, famine and disease, and that Germany is not only interested in the continent as a recipient of development aid, but rather that there are political and economic initiatives worthy of promoting. Already, his trip is being hailed as a success back in Berlin.

After Schröder’s visit, President Johannes Rau is expected to follow suit. Schröder sees his country’s interest in Africa as a continuation of Germany’s foreign policy. "A stable Africa is in our own interest. The fight against international terrorism will only be successful if Africa manages to offer people a future, one in which they can live or at least survive."