Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel wants 'Marshall Plan' for Africa

[Talktalk]

'Marshall Plan' for Africa meets with skepticism

German Development Minister Gerd Müller is trying to drum up support for a Marshall Plan for Africa. Little is known about what it will involve, or cost. But critics doubt it is the right road to African renewal.

German Development Minister Gerd Müller has promised to release details of what he calls a new "Marshall Plan with Africa" in the coming weeks.

Critics begin by taking issue with the name of the planned initiative. "I think a lot of people might have [a] problem with the term 'Marshall Plan' because Africa these days can't really be compared with Germany at the end of World War Two," Ingo Badoreck of the German Africa Foundation told DW.

But even if the label doesn't quite fit, the minister believes that Germany would be acting in its own interests if it were to help African economies to thrive and their people to become prosperous.

Berlin is anxious to stop a growing number of migrants - many of whom come from Africa - from making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe.

"If the youth of Africa can't find work or a future in their countries, it won't be hundreds of thousands, but millions that make their way to Europe," the minister told a news conference in November .

Private sector

Badoreck concedes - on the strength of the recommendations that Müller is making - that Germany is on the the brink of a paradigm shift away from the traditional model of development aid towards "a more coherent cooperation with the private sector."

The Marshall Plan launched by the United States in 1948 to aid the recovery of war-torn Europe had a strong focus on the private sector. Money was transferred to European governments, but they were required to use it for loans for local businesses.

But Badoreck says Müller's 'Marshall Plan' in its present form is littered with question marks. Less grandiose schemes could also be effective.

"What is Germany's unique selling point in Africa? It is the dual educational system and it is key in this debate because 70 percent of Africa's youth are unemployed," he said.

Under Germany's dual educational system, students combine classroom lessons with on the job training at a company.

Badoreck says any external plan can only be a very small piece in the mosaic in the development of a country and the mere fact that the whole donor community spends $161 billion (150 billion euros) annually without achieving the desired impact "shows that we should be modest."

Japheth Omojuwa, a political and social commentator based in Abjua, Nigeria, agrees.
"I personally do not think that Africa's problem is development aid. It has not worked over the years and it will not work in the coming years. We need to think about these things differently now," he told DW.

In Niger, one of three African countries recently visited by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Yahouza Sadissou praised Germany for backing a Marshall Plan for Africa. "It would be a solution for the migration crisis and poverty, which has spread across Africa like a pandemic, he told DW.

Europe beware

Visitors to the Facebook page of DW's Portuguese for Africa Service said anybody launching a Marshall Fund for Africa would need to be circumspect.

"If Europe has such a plan, beware. Ask each country what it needs and where the new infrastructure should be built. And Europeans should come here in person and execute all projects before returning to their counties," said one user.

Another user said "Europe would need to qualify the locals, supervise projects down to the last detail and, most importantly, refrain from financing corrupt governments directly."

"African governments should rather find their own way of developing their countries without waiting for help from outside," was how one visitor to DW's Hausa language Facebook page responded to Gerd Müller's call for a Marshall Plan for Africa.

http://www.dw.com/en/marshall-plan-for- ... a-36386841

[Futurist]

This bot always posts interesting articles

Unfortunately such a plan won't benefit the Somali region.

[NoAngst]

It depends what the Plan entails. If it entails massive investment in education and infrastructure, then it may just work.

[X.Playa]

Noangst,

If you read the article already this conservative news paper is permeating these aspects. The news paper is arguing the plan only would work if the money is giving to the private sector = foreign corporation.

Africa needs the basics, roads, trains and commen coordinated market. Africa has the least inter regional trades of any continent, we Somalis import of all things milk from Saudi Arabia and sugar from Brazil and textiles from Asia

[PureQ]

How degrading, don't Africans have any shame being overly reliant on cadaans?

[Samsee]

the first thing Africa needs is condoms, and they needed them 20 years ago

by 2050 there will be over 2 billion Africans, inshallah I am not alive to see what that will bring

[X.Playa]

Africa is the least populated continent considering its size.

[LiquidHYDROGEN]

the first thing Africa needs is condoms, and they needed them 20 years ago

by 2050 there will be over 2 billion Africans, inshallah I am not alive to see what that will bring

Is this fool some kind of white supremacist or something? Africa has a smaller population than India or China.

The plan would work if Europeans ever had any good intentions towards Africa. Unfortunately, their relationship with the continent has always been that of a wolf to a sheep.

How degrading, don't Africans have any shame being overly reliant on cadaans?

Buffoon, Germany, Japan and South Korea all received huge help from America and financial aid during their economic development. India was the recipient of huge infrastructure projects during the Raj, infrastructure that still exists to this day. Africa was stripped of its resources and any roads or rail that was built by the colonials were taken back or destroyed. Not to mention a huge percent of their fit and able population were stolen through slavery. Do not compare what Africans have been through with the rest of the world.

Why do we have so many self-hating chimps on this forum?

[GalliumerianSlayer]

Noangst,

If you read the article already this conservative news paper is permeating these aspects. The news paper is arguing the plan only would work if the money is giving to the private sector = foreign corporation.

Africa needs the basics, roads, trains and commen coordinated market. Africa has the least inter regional trades of any continent, we Somalis import of all things milk from Saudi Arabia and sugar from Brazil and textiles from Asia

Somalis are blessed with so much potential to become self sufficient.... the two Shabelle regions is enough to feed the entire Somali population in Horn of Africa and still be enough to use for export
Long coastline but Somalis don't like eating seafood for the most part
Huge amounts of livestock but have yet to start a huge factory processing Somali produced cheese/yoghurt/milk/ meat processing/ leather making

[Samsee]

Is this fool some kind of white supremacist or something? Africa has a smaller population than India or China.

unlike india and china, africans cannot support themselves. right now there is mass starvation, and you think with over 2 billion it will be better?

until they can get the basics down (how to farm effectively, how to extract resources independently etc.) they should have a small population and focus on educating that population before growing

[zidane88]

Africa needs a free trade to the rest of the world and less interference of its political and economical affairs.

[PanSomaliNationalist]

the first thing Africa needs is condoms, and they needed them 20 years ago

by 2050 there will be over 2 billion Africans, inshallah I am not alive to see what that will bring

The somali peninsula could use more people I mean 10 million is very small

[Jabuutawi]

Unless and until corruption is purged from Africa's 'business as usual' dealings and strengthen institutions independent of the executive branch, it is merely window dressing and a futile attempt to address fundamental and structural problems facing this continent.

[SahanGalbeed]

Considering all modern humans are "out of Africa" , it is about time !

[gurey25]

marshall plan for africa??
thats the most ridiculous thing i have ever heard.
marshal plan worked in already developed countries that needed a boost to restart the economy,
basically jumpstarting your car when your battery is dead.

when there is no car to jumpstart in the first place,
all that money will just dissapear.

Africa needs the west to either not interfere at all and let nature takes its course ( impossible, because they need subservient governments to facilitate mass looting)

2 things if they stop will benefit africa 10 times more than marshall aid.
number one leave them alone,
number 2 stop dumping your surplus agricultural products in the market , retarding development of the agricultural sector.