Denmark is investing in African countries: – They are not standing idly by

The strategy, called “Africa’s century”, was presented on Monday by Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Development and Climate Minister Dan Jørgensen.

– The African countries are not standing with hat in hand. They expect a mutually respectful handshake. And there we probably have to realize that we politicians have not been able to keep up with developments, says the strategy’s foreword, signed by the two ministers.

Denmark will now open new embassies in Senegal, Tunisia and Rwanda. At a number of other embassies, staffing is to be strengthened.

At the same time, the embassies in Mali and Burkina Faso are closed. The reason is a “severely limited room for action” after several military coups in the Sahel region.

The organization Folkekirkens Nødhjælp says in a comment that it seems like classic aid and human rights are downplayed, and that Denmark will instead promote its own interests and business cooperation.

– One of the most important foreign policy questions this century will be whether African countries orient themselves more towards the East or the West, says Rasmussen in a statement.

– We must show that we offer an attractive alternative to the growing Chinese and Russian influence on the continent, he adds.