19 June 2014
The German government has signed five agreements committing €414.26-million (about R5.89-billion) to development projects in South Africa.
The agreements were signed by Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene and German Ambassador Horst Freitag in Pretoria on Friday.
The new contributions will bring Germany’s total financial and technical aid to South Africa to just over R14.4-billion since 1992.
According to the Treasury, the aid has gone towards empowerment, skills transfer and the building of institutional capabilities, with the cooperation maturing over the last 20 years into a partnership focused on climate change and energy, HIV/Aids prevention and good governance.
“South Africa is one of our most important global development partners,” Freitag said following the signing. “Our development cooperation is an integral part of our broader cooperation in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres, bearing testimony to a successful partnership between countries of the northern and southern hemisphere in a changing world.”
Nene welcomed the support from Germany, saying he was looking forward to the successful implementation of the agreements, all of which are aligned to priorities listed in South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP).
“On behalf of the citizens of South Africa, the recipients of your support, we would like to express our gratitude for the long-standing partnership with the German government, and hope to strengthen the collaboration going forward,” Nene said.
Source: SAnews.gov.za
