News from 2019-05-09 / KfW Development Bank
Chancellor Merkel visits Niger
During her visit to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in early May, Chancellor Angela Merkel met with representatives of Niger civil society and German development cooperation. They also discussed the KfW project “Family planning and sensitisation”.
The Chancellor's trip to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger mainly revolved around the security situation in the region and the development outlook of the three countries. According to the Chancellor, development aid for Niger has now reached a very high level. “Germany now provides the most development aid in Africa in Niger” per capita.
There, in one of the poorest countries in the world, women have an average of 7.6 children, far more than in neighbouring countries. Since the country's independence in 1960, the population has increased more than sixfold to its current level of 20.6 million. Niger's family policy supports more moderate population growth and aims to improve health – particularly among women and children. During a round table discussion with representatives of Niger's civil society, the Chancellor also met a teacher who offers sex education for pupils as part of the FC project “Family planning and sensitisation”.
