Externe Publikationen

German development policy in Africa: continuities and ruptures after the Russian aggression against Ukraine

Klingebiel, Stephan
Externe Publikationen (2024)

in: Christine Hackenesch / Wolfram Lacher (eds.), The Russia-Ukraine War’s Shockwaves in Africa: a Zeitenwende for German Africa Policy?, Megatrends Afrika Working Paper 10, 28-31

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18449/2024MTA-WP10
Open access

As a result of Russian aggression against Ukraine since February 2022, an overarching trend in German development policy in Africa has greatly accelerated: Geopolitical and geo-economic issues have become much more prominent. This applies to the context of devel-opment policy, which is now heavily dominated by geopolitical issues: socio-economic problems in partner countries are exacerbated by the global economic consequences of the war. It also applies to the question of how development policy itself can contribute to shap-ing this context and reduce negative implications of the aggression. Can development cooperation be used to make partner countries more resilient in the area of food security and thus reduce dependence on Russia? How can development cooperation help in countering  misinformation in African partner countries? German development cooperation creates regular opportunities to discuss the Russian aggression against Ukraine with partner countries as well as with African regional and continental institutions. Partners in Africa often  emphasize their sovereignty to align with multiple external actors, including Russia. These recent trends apply not only to German, but also to European development policy, the approaches of other bilateral European actors and, more broadly, to the activities of non-European Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.