Focus on Africa: German leaders in Africa – African dignitaries in Berlin

Germany is increasingly discovering Africa as a market and partner. This is evident from two events that took place in parallel this week and affected two of the continent's strongest economies. While German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Accra for the second time since December 2017 to honor “the close partnership between Germany and Ghana,” the foreign ministers of Germany and Nigeria, among others, met in Berlin for a high-level economic dialogue. EWIA was present on both occasions and contributed to the dialogue.

For the second time since 2017, German President Steinmeier visited Ghana this week, an important partner in West Africa, which he described as an “anchor of stability, economically and politically”: “Ghana is assuming responsibility in the region and for the region – in the United Nations, the African Union, and ECOWAS.”

Steinmeier traveled through Africa for a week with a group of business leaders, starting in Egypt. He then continued on to Ghana, which, like Egypt, is a partner country in the G20 Compact with Africa (CwA) initiative, before flying on to Angola.

Spotlight on entrepreneurship – and the solar sector in particular

In Ghana, the German president met with President John Dramani Mahama and also with the country's active start-up scene. He spoke with founders about innovation and praised the cooperation between the two countries in general. And he spoke from the heart when he singled out our field:

EWIA CEO Ralph Schneider, who was also present, had the opportunity to exchange more than just a few words with the German president. Ghana is indeed a priority country for German development cooperation, particularly in the field of renewable energies. The Compact with Africa (CwA) is not just lip service; it has concrete consequences because, according to Deutsche Welle, "The strategic realignment of the German-Ghanaian partnership included banking reforms designed to stabilize the financial sector and new laws designed to simplify the process of starting a business in Ghana. Overall, it can be said that the measures implemented under the CwA have strengthened Ghana structurally, but have not triggered any profound investment momentum in the country," Wasserfall concludes. Anna Lena Wasserfall is the head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) office in Accra.

In the country's second-largest city, Kumasi in the Ashanti region, where EWIA serves numerous customers from a wide range of industries, Steinmeier visited the Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI) and the renowned Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where many of our interns and employees studied.

Soccer star with heart – and brains

The Federal President also honored several people who have rendered outstanding services. Martin Wilde from the Don Bosco Foundation received the Federal Cross of Merit. In addition, Gerald Asamoah, a former German national soccer player born in Ghana, was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit for his social services, such as his foundation for children with heart disease. Afterwards, the Federal President even deviated from protocol and kicked a few balls around with the 2002 World Cup runner-up (see here). Incidentally, Asamoah was an absolute pioneer in Germany in an area where soccer stars would only make a name for themselves years later: in 2013, he invested in the start-up Waschpakete.de, and a year later he even founded a fan app.

Steinmeier announced plans to strengthen bilateral relations and hold regular consultations.

Africa's largest economy visits Berlin

At virtually the same time, Berlin hosted the kick-off of a high-level meeting of the German-Nigerian Binational Commission, which promotes economic dialogue. The meeting was organized by the German-African Business Association in cooperation with the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Nigeria (AHK Nigeria) to bring together leading representatives from politics and business. The meeting focused on concrete investments in energy, infrastructure, industry, and resilient supply chains (more on this here).

Bilateral trade between the two countries reached a value of €3 billion in 2024, making Germany Nigeria's second-largest European trading partner. Nigeria is one of the continent's key markets, with both its population and economy growing rapidly. EWIA's West Africa Director, Dr. Wolf-Dietrich Fugger, was also present at the meeting.

The foreign ministers of both countries, Yusuf Tuggar and Johann Wadephul, were present at the Restaurant & Café “1687” on November 4. Stefan Rouenhoff (MoP), State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and Chief Adebayo Adelabu, Nigeria's Minister of Energy, also took part in the event. Other participants included Birgit Pickel, Director General for Africa at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and Alhaji Faruk Jobe, Deputy Governor of Katsina State, Nigeria.

In keynote speeches and panel discussions, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to increased cooperation in key areas.

EWIA is already present in key markets

It may have been a coincidence that both delegation visits took place at the same time. Nevertheless, it is becoming increasingly clear that Germany has long recognized the advantages of our neighboring continent and is consciously promoting its development and exchange. It is also no coincidence that EWIA is already active in these two key markets. Last week confirmed this once again.