POLITICS-AFRICA: Good Governance a Key Theme of German Chancellor’s Visit

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Jean-Jacques Cornish

PRETORIA, Jan 21 2004 (IPS) - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will arrive in South Africa Wednesday for a two-day visit to the country. This forms part of a four-nation African tour – Schroeder’s first since he became chancellor in 1998.

Observers say the trip has been carefully planned to send a message of encouragement to leaders who are viewed as taking Africa in a positive direction. Shroeder began his visit in Ethiopia on Sunday, and then traveled to Kenya. He will also touch down in Ghana later this week.

"This whole visit is about recognising and encouraging democratisation, good governance and the rule of law," said a senior German official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"Addis Ababa is the headquarters of the African Union, and the visit started there to illustrate Germany’s commitment to this important organisation," the official added.

"Kenya, the next stop, recognises the brave anti-corruption stance and the hope engendered by the relatively new government of Mwai Kibaki."

"South Africa is undoubtedly the hub of the continent," the official went on to say. "There is all-party agreement of that in Germany, and the acceptance that if South Africa does not succeed, there is no hope for Africa."

Schroeder’s decision to conclude his visit in Ghana is an acknowledgement of the efforts at good governance made by John Kufuor’s government.

The fact that the chancellor is not visiting Namibia – a former German colony – has strained relations between Berlin and Windhoek. But, German officials are reluctant to comment on this matter, pointing instead to the fact that German Foreign Affairs Minister Joschka Fischer had Namibia on his itinerary for a visit last October.

The attention which Germany is paying Africa is also summed up by one ambassador posted to the continent as "a realisation that Africa is Europe’s neighbouring continent. It is in our interests, as much as in Africa’s interest, to ensure that there are no failing states in Africa that can become breeding grounds and harbouring points for terrorism".

While in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Schroeder announced a grant of about 818,000 dollars for peacekeeping operations in Africa. Germany already contributes substantially to the assistance which the European Union (EU) provides to the African Mission in Burundi (AMIB).

"We have very small military contingents offering technical assistance in Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo," said the senior German official. "We might also send one or two experts to southern Sudan, (but) I cannot see us getting more involved in terms of manpower."

"We recognise the job South African, Ethiopian and Mozambique soldiers are doing in AMIB and their need to get the United Nations take over peacekeeping in Burundi as soon as possible," the official noted, adding "This is unlikely to happen, however, until the (rebel) National Liberation Forces is fully signed up in the peace process."

In Nairobi, Schroeder visited the United Nations Environment Programme, headed by German national Klaus Toepfer, and announced that Berlin’s assistance to this body would double to almost 63 million dollars for the 2004/2005 period.

The chancellor also announced a resumption of German development aid to Kenya. More than 60 million dollars will be provided in the form of grants and low interest loans for agriculture, water and health projects.

On Thursday, Schroeder is expected to hold talks with South African President Thabo Mbeki, when South Africa’s policies on HIV/AIDS and the political crisis in Zimbabwe are likely to come under discussion.

"Germany’s position on Zimbabwe is well recorded. We are very much behind the EU smart sanctions and pressure on President Robert Mugabe to respect human rights and the rule of law," said the official. "There is no need to make any additional message on a friendly visit to South Africa."

The thorny issue of the EU’s agricultural subsidies will also be raised.

"We have to balance our desire to see more market access for the Third World with the imperatives of our other major partners in the EU," said the official.

"Nevertheless we recognise the need to do more."

The chancellor will have a high-powered, 23-person business delegation with him in South Africa that includes the chief executives of Deutche Telekom, Commerzbank, DaimlerChrysler, and Lufthansa airways.

His 100-person travelling party also includes the head of the German trade union confederation.

Schroeder has specially asked to meet representatives from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) during his visit. "As a Social Democrat, he is accused of being too close to big business," said the official.

"The COSATU (meeting) is as much for domestic consumption as to tell the South African unionists about the benefits of having a consensus between government, employers and the unions."

According to the official, Germany played an important role in assisting South African trade unionists when they emerged as opponents of the apartheid system in the early 70’s.

"We are as proud of this as we are of the fact that German businesses provide jobs for between 70 and 90,000 people in South Africa."