German development Minister Schulze: 'We have to show that we are better [than Russia and China]'

"We are active here. Yes, Russia is also here, China is also here – we have to show that we are better," German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze said in an interview with DW at the end of her visit to the Sahel region.

Schulze: "The best thing we can do is to work together with all those who represent democratic structures. That's everyone who has come together in the Sahel Alliance. We need to show what we can do for the region. Last year we had a volume of 28 billion euros in project funds for things that – in a very targeted way – improve the situation for the people here in the region. We do have something to offer here."

Regarding the situation in Niger, Schulze argued for a "solution from within the region," adding that "there are very self-confident states here, as we have seen in Mauritania, which are also getting a grip on many problems themselves. […] As far as solutions are concerned, there must be negotiations." The pressure on those who staged the coup will remain high, the minister said.

On migration: "Most of the migration takes place here in the region […] And that's why the first thing to do is to help the countries in the region to come to terms with the fact that there is more movement here between the countries." Schulze added that "what we have to do in the EU, how this develops, we can only see when things have returned to normal in Niger."

Schulze stressed the importance of increasing "the resilience of societies" in the region. "We are working very hard here to build up a social security system for the people, so that if there is a crisis, that there's not immediately the threat of hunger, poverty and all the worst things again immediately, but that people have food, the children can go to school, that there is a little more security for the people."

August 17, 2023
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