AUC Chair Meets German Foreign Minister, Hails Germany as Largest Bilateral Partner

Addis Ababa, January 22, 2026 (ENA)—The African Union (AU) has commended Germany as a trusted and strategic partner, highlighting its leading role as the Union’s largest bilateral partner.

The commendation followed a joint engagement between AUC Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and Germany’s Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Johann Wadephul, at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa.

Minister Wadephul is in Ethiopia on a working visit, during which he held talks with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

The discussions focused on further strengthening the longstanding partnership between Ethiopia and Germany and expanding cooperation across priority areas.

As part of the visit, the German Foreign Minister also met on Thursday with AUC Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf to discuss bilateral and multilateral issues of shared interest.

Following the meeting, Chairperson Youssouf described the discussions as “very constructive,” noting that Germany remains the African Union’s largest bilateral contributor to the Commission’s funds.

He said Berlin has committed up to 88 million Euro to support African Union programmes over the 2026–2027 period.

Youssouf highlighted Germany’s significant role in promoting peace and security across the continent, including its leadership as chair of the Contact and Coordination Group for the Great Lakes Region.

 He also commended Germany for maintaining cooperation with Sahel countries—Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—despite recent unconstitutional changes of government in those countries.

The AUC Chairperson further acknowledged Germany’s support for key continental initiatives, including the African Union Border Programme, AFRIPOL, and its leading role in the G20 Compact with Africa, which aims to mobilize private investment and create jobs across the continent.

Stressing the importance of the partnership, Youssouf said the African Union highly values its relationship with Germany and praised Berlin’s leadership in global decision-making, particularly at a time when the international order is facing growing uncertainty and disruption.

He concluded by calling for reason and wisdom to prevail in global affairs and thanked the German Foreign Minister for his visit to the African Union.

In a separate statement, Germany’s Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs underscored Africa’s rising global significance, describing the continent as an emerging center of gravity in a multipolar world.

The ministry reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to deepening cooperation with the African Union and emphasized a shared belief in a rules-based international order and multilateral solutions.

“In a multipolar world, Africa is increasingly emerging as a centre of gravity. We therefore also want to further expand our cooperation with the African Union. We are united in our commitment to a rules-based international order and cooperation in which multilateral solutions are considered preferable to nations going it alone,” the statement said.