After a big stop in Mauritania, and before visiting South Africa, Wadeful is currently visiting Nigeria as part of a multi-country tour across Africa.
The visit follows previous visits to Africa by Germany’s top diplomat, who visited Ethiopia and Kenya in January and Morocco in April.
Wadefull says these frequent visits to the continent are a strategic necessity as part of Germany’s growing engagement with Africa.
“This is now my third visit to Africa. Why? Africa is a continent of both destiny and opportunity for Europe,” he told reporters, highlighting the continent’s economic potential while also pointing to persistent security challenges.
Mauritania: security, migration and counter-terrorism
Wadeful’s stay in Mauritania focused on a variety of interrelated issues such as security cooperation, migration management and regional stability.
Geopolitical analyst Fidel Amake Owusu said Germany is interested in “Mauritania because of migration”, highlighting the increasing use of Atlantic migration routes by people desperate to reach Europe.
The German foreign minister’s visit comes just days after the U.N. refugee agency reported at least 144 deaths along the route near the Mauritanian coast.
However, Wadeful’s visit also focused on opportunities for deeper security cooperation with Mauritania; His delegation visited the Morchidates, an all-female Islamic spiritual guiding group trained and deployed by the state to counter extremism.
DW’s Silja Frohlich, who accompanied Wadeful on the trip, said the foreign minister’s conversation with Morchidets was one of the highlights: “In Mauritania, he was clearly impressed by the women who worked with him.” U.N. To prevent extremism and violence – women who, despite living in a deeply patriarchal society and often having a personal connection to the conflict they are facing, are determined to protect their communities,” she explained.
Support for such grassroots initiatives is also a reflection of Germany’s intention to promote community-based approaches to preventing radicalization.
Nigeria: Economic Partnership and Youth Driven Innovation
As part of the second phase in Nigeria, Wadeful has met with various entrepreneurs, creators, influencers, filmmakers and students.
“We are looking for new global partners. That’s why I am here: that we are looking towards Africa and countries in Africa. I see Nigeria as a kind of powerhouse, a striving nation, which is growing faster and faster and with a lot of creative ideas,” the foreign minister commented, describing Nigeria as an African powerhouse, especially in the creative industries.
Vocational education, skills development and cooperation in science, technology and innovation have been highlighted as key areas of future cooperation, with discussions also taking place on expanding economic and commercial partnerships and attracting more German investment in priority sectors.
Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the country “looks forward to a productive engagement that will further strengthen existing friendship, and open new avenues of cooperation in support of inclusive economic growth, regional stability and shared prosperity.”
Local content creator Shalom Onuinye said Wadeful’s recognition of Nigeria’s growing cultural momentum around the world marked a significant shift in the global perception of Africa’s most populous country.
South Africa: Germany’s closest economic partner in Africa
Wadful’s journey across the continent is set to conclude in South Africa – Germany’s most important economic partner in Africa, where more than 600 German companies are operating.
German direct investment in South Africa to reach €7.99 billion ($9.1 billion) in 2023, including South African investments Germany A total of €2.6 billion, according to Germany’s Federal Foreign Office.
Analyst Owusu believes that South Africa’s advanced and diversified economy as well as its role as Africa’s main manufacturing hub make the country attractive to foreign investors; He also said that German investment could generate substantial profits for both sides in the long run.
However, in the backdrop of recent xenophobic attacks across the country, the German Foreign Minister is expected to emphasize the shared democratic values between the two countries.
This upcoming leg of Wadful’s visit will also likely focus on industrial cooperation, energy transition partnerships and strengthening Germany’s ties with South Africa’s business and political leadership.
Germany’s increasing interest in Africa
Wadefull’s visit to Africa also builds on the partnership established last year, when Germany and the African Union (AU) launched their first Strategic Dialogue on Foreign and Security Policy at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The new framework aims to deepen cooperation on global security crises and multilateral engagement, for which Germany has pledged a total of more than €100 million.
“Especially at a time of major global geopolitical turmoil, credible collaboration with our African partners is essential,” Wadeful commented at the launch of the initiative.
The German Foreign Minister at the time stressed that Europe and Africa “are closely linked politically, economically and security-wise, and face many common challenges,” stressing that “a stronger Africa is in Germany’s interest.”
Silja Frohlich contributed to this article
Edited by: Serton Sanderson