Kohler says Germany is supporting Africa to attain MDGs

By Isabella Gyau Orhin, Berlin, Germany


The German President Mr. Horst Kohler has said that Germany has a plan to speed up the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa and other parts of the world by the year 2015.

This he said is being done by ensuring the payment of 0.7 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the year 2015 as Germany’s contribution to funding the MDGs.

The President was speaking at a meeting with 10 media personnel from Africa in Berlin recently.

The meeting was organized by INWENT, a capacity building organization in partnership with the Office of the German President as part of preparation towards the Germany/EU Dialogue on Development Cooperation to be held in Frankfurt in early November..

“When I was in Washington in the year 2003 or 2004, the contribution of Germany was 0.25 percent of GDP, now it is 0.36 percent and we hope to raise it to 0.5 percent in 2010 and hopefully to 0.7 percent by 2015,” says Mr. Kohler who is also a former director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

He said the Ministry of Economic Cooperation was working within the framework of the European Union (EU) to shape negotiation for development relations with Africa.
“There is a clear commitment on the part of our Chancellor Mrs. Angela Merkel and our Minister for Economic Cooperation to deliver on their promise,” Mr. Kohler said.
Mr. Kohler also said his country is working within the framework of the European Union to shape the negotiations for a development friendly trade in the direction of openings of markets in Europe for products coming from Africa.

“I am trying to mediate but Europe has to reconsider some elements of its own African concept,” Mr. Kohler said adding, “I very much hope that this meeting in Portugal between African and the Europeans will bring some major steps forward.”

He also said there is the need to put the issue of migration on the table. “I still feel that there is not yet a clear understanding what it means for Africans to come to Europe as refugees or people who just want to escape hunger and trouble.”
Highlighting more on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPAs) Mr. Kohler said there is the need to move from existing trade regime to a more open trade regime.
What is difficult he said was how to deal with the existing trade preferences that are hanging within the new trade regime.

The President further said trade negotiators from Europe and the United states see the need to reduce existing trade preferences for Africa, adding, “This is an issue where we need a transition period to handle carefully enough.”

The German President also made mention of the fact that African negotiators “are detecting a bit more of their power within international negotiations.”

I don’t want to give judgment of what is right or wrong, you need to know what is good for your continent,” he said adding, “My position is that we need to do something about double standards in international trade regime, we should not preach to others market economy and while we ourselves are very reluctant to reduce the impediments to trade,”


Africans have a deadline to sign on to……………………………………………………….







The Co President of the Heinrich Boll Foundation which is a subsidiary of the Green Party in Germany Barbara Unmuesig says Africa can use its relationship with China to negotiate with Europe on the EPAs.

She said “Europe realizes that they have not done their home work well when it comes to dealing with Africa in the post war years and China has cleverly stepped in.”

She said China is investing heavily in Africa with sophistication while the Europeans feel China is undermining IMF/World Bank conditionalities, conditionalities of good governance and human rights among others.
Europeans are worried that China is becoming more influential in Africa while its main interest is in the gas and oil resources of Africa.

According to Barbara Unmuessig, while Africa can exploit the situation to its advantage, it must watch China carefully since that country can fall into trouble due to its undemocratic stance.