DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION WITH AFRICA

The international political changes following the end of East- West confrontation, the financial and economic demands of the Central and Eastern European countries ruined by socialism, and the resultant problems regarding the raising and legitimation of development aid have induced Western countries, in particular Germany, to view their previous ideas of how to meaningfully promote economic and environmental progress in the Third World without having to fear a massive waste of resources or even counterproductive effects. The poorest and mostproblematic development region, Africa south of the Sabara, constitutes a special challenge in this context. At the same time, this region is particularly important for nearby Europe. In the following article, Germany's Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation, Carl-Dieter Spranger, outlines his view of the existing problems and presents bis conclusions for German development policy in sub-Saharan Africa.