Germany urged other developed countries on Friday to support a plan it is finalising to bolster the economies of Africa, create jobs and slow the flow of migrants from the continent to Europe.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and her officials, anxious to stop growing numbers of migrants risking their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea, are pushing for increased public and private investment in Africa.
Development minister Gerd Mueller said Germany would in coming weeks release details of what he called a new “Marshall Plan with Africa” – drawing a direct parallel with the huge US investment programme that kick-started the ravaged German economy after the second World War.
“We have to invest in these countries and give people perspectives for the future,” he told a news conference. “If the youth of Africa can’t find work or a future in their own countries, it won’t be hundreds of thousands, but millions that make their way to Europe.” – (Reuters)