Africa harbours great potential: abundant resources, cultural diversity, entrepreneurial spirit and capacity for innovation. About half of the 20 fastest growing economies can be found in Africa. The continent will have the largest labour supply in the world by 2035. Harnessing the potential of this rapidly growing population - by 2050 it will double to 2.5 billion people - poses an enormous challenge. Every fourth person on earth will be African by 2050. The global markets, employees and customers of the future are emerging here.
Africa has been a focus for several years. This is also due to the issue of refugees, the possibility, perceived by many as a threat, that millions of Africans will leave for Europe in the coming years. What are the reasons that young people in particular want to leave Africa? They do not see any opportunities in their home countries to build a dignified life in economically and politically stable conditions, with educational possibilities, a job and a chance to provide for their families. And in many countries persecution, discrimination, ethnic conflict and human rights violations are on the rise.
The German Federal Government is committed in a variety of ways to supporting the neighbouring continent of Africa as it takes on responsibility for its own security and development. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is giving the Compact-with-Africa initiative agreed during the German G20 Presidency in 2017 a concrete form with substantial commitments at bilateral level in a “Marshall Plan with Africa” and reform partnerships.
