Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: India and Germany are poised to broaden their collaborative efforts by engaging a third developing country ally, specifically focusing on the African nations of Ethiopia and Madagascar, according to Chaman Dhanda, India’s head for trilateral cooperation at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany’s technical assistance agency.
Historically, New Delhi and Berlin have cooperated on projects in Peru, Ghana, Cameroon, and Malawi, with initiatives emphasising empowering women in Malawi’s agriculture sector and employing agri-tech solutions for potato cultivation in Cameroon.
In a joint declaration of intent issued in May 2022, the two nations outlined their objective to leverage their respective strengths and experiences in development cooperation to present sustainable, viable, and inclusive projects to third countries.
This effort aims to address development challenges, achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and pursue SDG-related climate targets, including through multilateral institutions such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
While the Indo-German partnership has hitherto concentrated on climate and sustainability solutions, Germany now expresses interest in extending its focus to encompass healthcare projects and sponsor health-related research and development in Africa, as conveyed by Jochen Flasbarth, state Secretary at Germany’s federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, during a media interaction in New Delhi.