Topic

Africa

Opportunity continent Africa Africa Europe raw materials Business location Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa and Europe raw materials policy

Africa is a continent of opportunity. It is time to view Africa more as a promising economic partner and a market of the future, rather than merely as a recipient of development aid.

News

Toward a “mini-polar” future: where do Africa and Europe stand?

In 2050, the world will be warmer, older, more African, less European–and yet not fully multipolar.

Over the last 25 years, the leaders of the European Union and the African Union have built a partnership and discussed cooperation to jointly face future challenges, as they did at the seventh EU-AU Summit in Luanda, Angola on 24 November 2025.

Aligning Interests in Times of Geopolitical Turmoil

Critical raw materials are shaping the global geoeconomic landscape. For European industry, access to these materials is essential to maintain competitiveness. For resource-rich African nations, they offer potential for their own industrialization. This will bring Europe and Africa closer together.

Yellow dump truck in a rocky open-pit mine

The Untapped Potential of Labour and Education Migration from Africa to Germany

While public debate on migration in Europe focuses mainly on irregular migration, regular routes for labour and education migration from Africa have been expanding. Whether these become fair and mutually beneficial pathways will depend on how they are designed and supported.

Johann Wadephul (CDU), Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, is visiting the trainees of Krones, a company which trains mechatronics engineers in Nairobi as part of its dual training programme.

What America's demographic future means for Africa and Europe

Demographic change is becoming an increasingly important driver of global power shifts. As America's demographic advantage narrows, Africa and Europe may face a changing geopolitical landscape with new risks, opportunities and strategic choices.

Strategische Rohstoffe, strategische Partnerschaften: Europas Sicherheit braucht Afrika

Ein russischer Angriff auf das Baltikum im Jahr 2028? Das gilt unter Militärs und Geheimdiensten nicht länger als Fiktion, sondern als bedrohlich realistisches Szenario. Europa muss jetzt entschlossen handeln, um eine glaubwürdige Abschreckung aufzubauen. Eine sichere Versorgung mit kritischen Rohstoffen ist dabei die Grundvoraussetzung für unsere Verteidigungsfähigkeit. Darum ist ein stärkeres Engagement in Afrika alternativlos.

Africa Summit in Berlin - who is wooing whom?

The view that Africa needs our support is deeply rooted. "But Germany needs Africa more than the other way around," says Wolfgang Niedermark, member of the BDI Executive Board at the G20 Investment Summit 2023 in Berlin. There is great potential for more German-African cooperation in the areas of hydrogen, future technologies and raw materials.

Deutschland und Afrika: Mehr Strategie, mehr Investition, mehr Partnerschaft auf Augenhöhe

Deutsche Unternehmen brauchen Afrika – für die Lösung geopolitischer und ökologischer Herausforderungen, als Absatzmarkt und für den Zugang zu Rohstoffen. Leider verharrt die deutsche Politik seit Jahrzehnten in verkrusteten Vorstellungen von Geber- und Nehmerländern. Das ist überheblich und lehrerhaft. Deutschland und Europa sollten den afrikanischen Ländern endlich attraktive Investitionsangebote machen und sie als Partner auf Augenhöhe behandeln.

Mitglied der BDI-Hauptgeschäftsführung Wolfgang Niedermark mit Robert Dussey, Außenminister von Togo

Green Energy in Africa: Opportunities for German Companies

"The German economy is facing major challenges today," says Heinz-Walter Große, chairman of the Sub-Saharan Africa Initiative of German Business (SAFRI), at the spring reception in honor of the African Diplomatic Corps in Berlin. Große emphasizes the need to develop alternative sources of raw materials and energy as well as new sales markets.