“Development policy has long been geo-economics. But anyone who wants to be strategic must deliver economically — not just put words on paper. Without instruments and a timeline, it remains a set of well-intentioned announcements,” says Claudia Voß, Deputy Managing Director of the Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft.

“In terms of economic cooperation, the reform plan addresses relevant levers. Companies are to be involved earlier in designing projects, and dialogue with the private sector is to be intensified. We are already seeing initial dialogue formats as concrete steps in the right direction. But when it comes to key objectives such as expanding financing and de-risking instruments, or removing structural barriers in development-cooperation tenders, the reform plan unfortunately remains far too vague,” Voß adds.

“Which obstacles will actually be removed — and by when? Which procurement rules will change in measurable ways so that small and medium-sized enterprises are not only invited, but enabled to participate? Where are the deadlines, budgets, instruments — and a project pipeline that provides planning certainty? Germany’s SME sector needs reliability: faster procedures, clear points of contact, risk mitigation, and predictable financing. And ideally not only in 2027, when implementation of the reform decisions is supposed to be completed,” Voß says.

Similar concerns apply to the Compact with Africa (CwA). A strengthening of the initiative is announced, but what concrete offerings and investment formats will follow remains unclear. There is also no visible expansion logic that systematically includes the continent’s economic heavyweights. “Nigeria and Angola should have been on the agenda for a long time,” Voß says.

“Achieving a ‘level playing field’ for Germany’s SME sector is still a very long way off. Other ministries also need to deliver. Against that backdrop, it is surprising that the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) is not explicitly mentioned in the cross-ministerial approach,” Voß notes.

At the same time, Afrika-Verein calls for a swift concretization and consistent implementation of the announced measures. CEO Christoph Kannengiesser emphasizes: “Many elements of the Action Plan – such as a stronger linkage between development policy activities and projects by German companies in Africa, or the creation of fair opportunities for European, particularly German, suppliers in tenders – should have been implemented long ago. The fundamental ambition is right, but without visible results, it remains ineffective.”

“The business community now expects concrete progress: competitive financing and guarantee instruments, realistic risk mitigation, and faster procedures to make investments in Africa truly feasible. More pragmatism is also needed in the area of skilled labor mobility – for example, through faster visa processes, easier recognition of qualifications, and joint training initiatives. This is not a wish list,” says Kannengiesser, “but a prerequisite for growth and competitiveness – in Africa and in Germany.”