The Sub-Saharan Africa Initiative of German Business
The Sub-Saharan Africa Initiative of German Business (SAFRI) serves to promote sustainable and partnership-based economic relations between Germany and Sub-Saharan Africa. It is supported in partnership by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), the Federation of German Industries (BDI), the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services (BGA) and the German-African Business Association (AV).
SAFRI was founded in 1998 as the successor organization to the Southern Africa Initiative of German Business. Since October 2023, SAFRI has been chaired by Thomas Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, Core Brand Group, CEO Volkswagen Brand; SAFRI is coordinated by the DIHK.
SAFRI-Chairmanship
Thomas Schäfer
SAFRI Chairman
Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, Core Brand Group
CEO Volkswagen Brand
Heike Bergmann
Deputy SAFRI Chairwoman
Senior Vice President Sales Africa, Voith Hydro
Sabine Dall’Omo
Deputy Chairwoman of SAFRI
CEO Siemens Sub-Saharan Africa
Chairwoman of Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft
Oliver Hermes
Deputy SAFRI Chairman
Chairman of the Board & CEO, Wilo Gruppe
Rasmus Woermann
Deputy SAFRI Chairman
Managing Partner, Cr. Woermann GmbH & Co. KG
Aim
The aim of SAFRI is to promote sustainable and partnership-based economic relations between Germany and sub-Saharan Africa.To this end, the sponsors want to jointly
- strengthen the perception of Africa as a continent of opportunity for the German economy
- Promote dialog between German and African business and politics
- and provide a platform for exchange between German and African partners.
By bundling the economic policy activities of the SAFRI supporting organizations, the interests of the German economy in the region and the economic and economic policy exchange between Germany and Africa are given greater weight.
Against the backdrop of global challenges and the increasing global economic importance of sub-Saharan Africa, it is important to positively shape change in line with our strategic vision through cooperation, dialog and partnership and to build a bridge for people and markets.
Supporters and partners
As the umbrella organization of the 80 German Chambers of Industry and Commerce, the DIHK represents the interests of the German economy vis-à-vis decision-makers in federal politics and European institutions.
As the umbrella organization of German industry and industry-related service providers, the BDI speaks for 36 industry associations and represents over 100,000 companies with a good eight million employees.
The BGA is the voice of wholesale, foreign trade and business-related services and represents 1.9 million employees in Germany. The companies of the BGA generate an annual turnover of 1.8 trillion euros.
The AV has been working in the service of German-African economic relations for over 80 years. It is the foreign trade association of German companies and institutions with an economic interest in the countries of the African continent.
“We need industrial courage, political will and cooperation based on trust. With these ingredients, Africa’s huge potential can be successfully leveraged.”
Thomas Schäfer
SAFRI Chairman
Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, Core Brand Group
CEO Volkswagen Brand
History of origin
At the suggestion of the then German Chancellor Dr. Helmut Kohl, SAFRI was launched in May 1996 as the Southern Africa Initiative of German Business by the leading German business associations. The declared aim was to direct the interest of German foreign economic policy to southern Africa in order to position it on Germany’s economic policy map of the world.
The actual founding event took place in October 1998 at a landmark conference in Windhoek, Namibia. Chaired by Prof. Dr. h.c. Jürgen E. Schrempp and in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the “Declaration of Windhoek” – the substantive founding document of SAFRI – was adopted in the form of a final declaration.
At the beginning of 2015, the SAFRI sponsors decided to intensify their cooperation and extend the regional initiative to all countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Prof. Dr. Heinz-Walter Große, then CEO of B. Braun Melsungen AG, took over the chairmanship of the Sub-Saharan Africa Initiative of German Business
Thomas Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, Core Brand Group, CEO Volkswagen Brand, has been Chairman of SAFRI since October 2023.
