Mechanical engineering industry supports the development of sustainable economic structures - Only 2 per cent of machine exports go to Africa.
Africa wants to develop itself into a continent with great economic strength that is also sustainable. Vocational training has a key role to play here. The mechanical engineering companies in Germany are therefore supporting German Chancellor Angela Merkel to strengthen such a development of the continent. With its 'Experts for Africa'-initiative, the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) is already showing how well-suited qualification can function locally. "In order to master the challenges surrounding the topic of migration, we must offer people in Africa a perspective for the future," explains Dr. Reinhold Festge, Past-President of VDMA.
Financing as a bottleneck factor
Festge says that Africa continues to be a continent with a high backlog demand for mechanical engineering products. Currently, hardly more than 2 percent of German machine exports go there. "The markets are difficult and very heterogeneous. That is why development cooperation programmes should support the long-term and sustainable commitment of mechanical engineering in Africa," appeals Festge.
Financing is a bottleneck, especially for small and medium-sized private companies. One way of overcoming this bottleneck is to grant credit lines from development cooperation funds to local banks. The financing of major government projects in Africa is also at a standstill. Here the support for commercial export financing through development aid funds is missing on the German side. More and more projects are therefore being won by Chinese, Japanese and South Korean providers, who are succeeding with a financing mix.
Qualification of specialists in VDMA training centres
"The lack of qualified local personnel is another major reason why German companies are not yet taking full advantage of the opportunities in Africa," adds Festge. With its "Experts for Africa"-initiative, the VDMA supports its members in entering the African market. To this end, the association is setting up vocational training centres together with local partners in Botswana, Kenya and Nigeria.
These training centres rely on the concept of dual vocational training in the fields of industrial mechanics, electrical engineering, electronics and mechatronics. African private companies, which are committed to vocational training, have a central role to play here. The training program is therefore consistently oriented to the requirements of the local industry. More than 1,000 skilled workers are to be qualified over the next three years.
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development supports the implementation of the projects.