German minister calls for ag investments in Africa
One such project he used as an example was Kevian. The filling plants were supplied by a German company and financed by a loan from development agencies in Germany. The company has grown from 60 employees to 600. The fruit suppliers also benefit.
"That's how it should be. 300,000 farmers supply mangoes for processing. The farmers have long-term contracts, get a fixed price and can live on it," Müller said. According to the 61-year-old minister, Africa needs ten thousand of such factories.
It is one of the core messages of Germany's "Marshall Plan for Africa". During his trip to Africa, he presented for the first time, this concept for a new cooperation between Africa and Europe at the German-African economic summit in Nairobi.
CEO of Kevian, Richard Rugendo, hopes that this will soon change. He is one of the participants in the German-African Business Summit in Nairobi. "There are many sectors with room for investment. We have a free economy and we want everyone to have a job. So we need more investors," Rugendo told DW.
He is convinced of the need to strongly involve the private sector. "The government can only create the right environment for a functioning economy. But the private sector can create jobs or finance the state through taxes and get the economy running," Rugendo said.
source: allafrica.com