“Compact with Africa” meeting: Energy as the key to the future

A “close partnership” – that’s what the federal government wants to achieve with the African states. Chancellor Scholz has therefore invited people to the Africa summit in Berlin. The central topic: the expansion of renewable energies.

African-European coexistence must change. Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo made this clear at the “Compact with Africa” ​​summit. An example: For him, simply exporting raw materials is a thing of the past. That brought little to the African continent. Processing also belongs to African states. Chancellor Olaf Scholz sees it the same way: “This creates jobs and prosperity in these countries, and German industry gains reliable suppliers.”

Scholz made it clear early on that he was striving for a new way of working together: a “close partnership”. This is already stated in the coalition agreement. But then came Russia’s war against Ukraine and Hamas’ attack on Israel.

“Further developing Africa’s potential”

With “Compact with Africa”, Scholz is building on an initiative launched by his predecessor Angela Merkel in 2017. The conference promotes private investment and at the same time strengthens reforms: “The ‘Compact with Africa’ is the central initiative of the G20 to further exploit Africa’s huge potential to develop, for example in terms of climate neutrality, sustainability and resilience of our economies,” said Scholz.

On the one hand, there is this huge potential – also for the energy transition, especially through green hydrogen. On the other hand, there is the question of legal certainty and stability. There was a recent coup in two partner countries of “Compact with Africa”. Finance Minister Christian Lindner summarizes it as follows: “Competitive and reliable national framework conditions as well as macroeconomic stability are essential.”

China is often already there

In addition, China was often faster than the Europeans. Scholz experienced this himself during his visit to Kenya in May, when he rushed from the airport towards Nairobi – via a highway financed by China.

From the point of view of the green foreign politician Jürgen Trittin, Europe is getting the hang of a new relationship with Africa just in time: “I believe that this perception comes very late, but it does not come too late. And it has of course been exacerbated by the fact that China has already tried very early on to monopolize raw materials and the like for itself.”

Together with renewable energies

“Compact with Africa” includes 13 states from Egypt to Tunisia, and other countries have expressed interest in joining. Scholz emphasizes: “Africa is our dream partner when it comes to intensifying our economic relations and taking the common path towards a climate-neutral future.”

Energy industry is key – this is also what Moussa Faki, the chairman of the African Union Commission, says. But not just as a supplier for Europe. But also with energy for our own continent. After all, 600 million people there would still have to get by without electricity.

Protecting the planet with renewable energies – that, says Faki, is the most important project for humanity.