Germany has embarked on a charm offensive with South Africa after that country’s president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, called for increased diplomatic and economic ties with “Africa’s second-largest economy”.
“New start” comments he made during his current visit to South African received wide coverage over the weekend, and Steinmeier’s positive sentiments continued to find traction this morning.
Heaping praise on the strides President Cyril Ramaphosa has made to root out corruption, Steinmeier predicted that the “efforts would make the country – the only African member of Group of Twenty (G20) industrialised countries – more attractive for German investors.”
Accompanying Steinmeier on his tour through the country are chief executives from technology conglomerate Siemens and Germany’s state-owned bank, KfW.
With some 600 German businesses operating in South Africa, Steinmeier emphasised the footprint his country had in its “biggest African trade partner”. And with export/import figures of €9.5m and €7.3m respectively, he stressed that Europe’s leading economy could make a significant contribution to local growth challenges such as youth employment.
