It was the recent G20 summit and – even more impressively – the EU-Africa summit in Luanda, which have shown that in the current global political situation, being increasingly characterised by authoritarian and aggressive governments of major international powers, a closer cooperation between European and African nations is essential: politically and economically, bilaterally and multilaterally – all in a spirit of mutual understanding of shared and of diverging interests.
In addition to joint efforts for effective climate protection and migration management, Europeans and Africans want to strengthen their commitment to more investment, a reform of international financial systems and debt management for the benefit of the low-income countries, according to the final declaration of the summit participants in Luanda. Angola’s President João Lourenço, host of the meeting, summed up: “Together, we have everything we need to benefit and develop our continents. All we have to do is share and cooperate for mutual benefit.“¹
Kati Jurischka/ HK Hamburg
The African-German Congress 2025, held in Hamburg in November, anticipated these guidelines in a very practical manner. It presented concrete examples of successful cooperations between African and European – namely German – institutions: The motto ‘Doing Business in Africa: Think Local, Resolve Smart’ referred to the opportunities, but also to the remaining obstacles to foreign investment and joint projects, such as improving infrastructure on the African continent. The congress, hosted by the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce (Handelskammer Hamburg), supported by the African-German Arbitration Cooperation (AfGAC) as well as the German-African Business Association (Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft) and co-organized by the Hamburg based LawCom.Institute, placed a special focus on conflict management between equal trading partners: The ‘Practical Strategies for Contractual Dispute Resolution in African Markets’ are intended to contribute to rapid, cost-effective and reliable dispute resolution in cases of conflict.
According to Christoph Kannengießer, chief executive of the German-African Business Association, German companies investing in Africa are facing a crucial problem: ”Across many countries, going through the state courts to enforce a commercial contract can still be a lengthy, costly and unpredictable process. The World Bank’s data on enforcing contracts shows that in many jurisdictions, it can take several years, not several months, to obtain a final judgment. For a fast-moving business, that is not just a legal problem – it is a strategic risk. Arbitration, by contrast, was developed precisely to address these concerns. Properly designed, it is faster and more flexible than traditional litigation; it allows parties to choose experienced arbitrators; and it can avoid endless procedural delays.”²
Kati Jurischka/ HK Hamburg
A relatively new – yet reliable – platform to implement this strategy is the African-German Arbitration Cooperation (AfGAC), a network of partners from Kenya, Rwanda, and Egypt together with the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. It enriches commercial arbitration with a unique approach that has met with great approval both nationally and internationally. The Hamburg congress highlighted the importance of the AfGAC initiative in improving guidance and legal certainty for Hamburg and German companies doing business in Africa. It makes the high-quality and well-established arbitration options, that already exist in countries where the participating arbitration institutions are based, more visible. The aim of the AfGAC project is therefore to highlight the quality of African commercial arbitration and to expand it further.
At the Hamburg congress, over one hundred participants from various African and European countries – including representatives from business and banking, lawyers, arbitrators and the GIZ (German Corporation for International Cooperation) – emphasised the importance of AfGAC. They made clear how necessary the project’s targeted strategic expansion of AfGAC to include other recognised African arbitration institutions on the continent is. Only then will the initiative’s objectives be able to take full effect. The participation of representatives from four other African arbitration institutions from Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa at the congress, who had expressed their interest in joining the cooperation in preliminary talks, also underlined this. Notably, the congress fostered an atmosphere of unusually open and constructive dialogue and a forward-looking critical exchange throughout the day.
In a survey conducted by the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce after the congress, participants appreciated the “excellent presentation” as well as the rich content offered. Some comments: “It was very interesting and enriching. An excellent opportunity to exchange experiences.” “It was a superb balance between high-level discussions and practical insights. I appreciate the strong diversity of speakers and perspectives as well as the productive networking opportunities.”
Africa is considered one of the most dynamic growth markets worldwide. Around half of the twenty fastest-growing economies are located on our neighbouring continent. The low average age of just over twenty, the high and constantly growing innovative strength in areas such as AI, the importance of women as key players in economic development, and the identical or only marginally differing time zones between Europe and Africa are important factors in promoting economic and trade relations between the two continents. Exports from Germany to Africa have almost tripled since the beginning of this century, reaching approximately 29 billion euros in 2023. Nevertheless, they still represent only a small proportion of Germany’s total exports.
Kati Jurischka/ HK Hamburg
Christoph Kannengießer, of German-African Business Association, put it this way: ”Potential and reality are still far apart. Yet if you look at the big strategic issues – energy transition, green hydrogen, critical raw materials, digitalisation, urbanisation and a rapidly growing middle class – it becomes obvious that Germany will not achieve its climate, security and prosperity goals without much stronger economic ties with African partners. Germany needs Africa at least as much as Africa needs Germany.” As Senator Sylvia Kasanga from Nairobi has put it:“Africa and Germany succeed best when they engage each other as complementary partners, each bringing unique strengths to shared challenges. Sustainable progress emerges when cooperation enhances African institutions, builds mutual trust, and reflects the aspirations of both partners.”
Sources:
- João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola and Chairperson of the AU at the 7th AU-EU Summit, 24. Nov 2025
- African-German Congress 2025 – Opening Remarks of Christoph Kannengießer, Chief Executive of the German-African Business Association (Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft)