Global Africa: Spheres of Interaction: Africa-Japan-EuropeCorey Wallace

ASIEN – Nr. 144 (2017) pp. 158–59

JDZB, Berlin, March 6, 2017

This symposium considered opportunities for greater Africa–Europe–Japan cooperation, with a focus being placed on German-Japanese cooperation in particular. It was organised by the Japanese–German Center Berlin (JDZB) in cooperation with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).

Two scene-setting speeches by the representatives of the JDZB and SWP provided an overview of the interests, approaches and activities in common between Japan and Germany as related to Africa. The key insight was that both countries are increasingly modifying their traditional aid and security approaches by connecting them to trade and investment policies for the purpose of making a deeper strategic contribution to African regional and sub-regional development. One important point raised was how homogeneous and simplified views of Africa as a place of crisis and dependency were giving way to a greater realisation of Africa’s changing relationship with outside foreign actors and the globalisation process itself. New economic growth, intra-African cooperation, and demographic changes thus demand new policy approaches to Africa.