German Agency for International Cooperation returns to Congo after nearly 27-year hiatus

Germany’s agency for International Cooperation, GIZ, has resumed activities in Congo Brazzaville nearly 27 years after exiting the central African country because of political instability.

Arlette Soudan Nonault, the country’s minister of Sustainable development and Congo Bassin and the German ambassador Wolfgang Klapper inaugurated the offices of the Agency on Monday November 13 in capital Brazzaville, Agence d’Information d’Afrique Centrale reports.

The inauguration of the new offices came 10 years after the European country relaunched its diplomatic mission.

For Klapper, the new offices will work on all sectors in line with the country’s development program. Three projects including Paco project, will be the focus of the staff for the meantime. The diplomat, the Agency notes, also indicated that Berlin will post in January 2024 an honorary Consul in the city of Pointe Noire, in addition to Paco project office.

Paco defined as Adaptation project in Central and West Africa, seeks to measure the effects of climate change in the Republic of Congo and propose solutions to address them. “I’m delighted that Brazzaville is hosting the Paco. It’s a victory for Congo, because it wasn’t easy to win against serious contenders like Burkina Faso and Mali. Congo was an outsider… After Benin, Congo is Paco’s second partner country,” the German diplomat added.