Nouakchott (dpa) – Germany’s Development Minister Svenja Schulze is visiting Mauritania and Nigeria on a four-day trip to West Africa. On Monday, she will be conducting talks with the government in Mauritania, which is regarded as one of Europe’s last remaining partners in the poverty- and terror-stricken Sahel region on the southern edge of the Sahara. Of the country’s nearly five million inhabitants, around 40 percent live in extreme poverty. Children and young adults under the age of 20 account for roughly half of the population.
In July, Schulze took over the presidency of the Sahel Alliance, the most important international alliance for the financial support of countries in the Sahel region in the west and centre of Africa. These include Niger, where a military coup two and a half weeks ago triggered a regional crisis. Schulze will be travelling to Nigeria on Wednesday. Besides government talks, meetings are also scheduled there with representatives of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), whose presidency is held by Nigeria. One of the issues to be discussed is how Germany can support efforts to bring about a peaceful solution in Niger.
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