The heads of state and prime ministers of numerous African countries will on Monday begin a two-day talks in Berlin to discuss closer economic cooperation with Europe.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to hold bilateral talks with individual heads of state and prime ministers.

The main topics of the “Compact with Africa” (CwA) conference are strengthening private investment in the African continent and cooperation on sustainable energy projects.

The conference resulted from an initiative launched by Germany in 2017 during its presidency of the G20 group of states to improve the economic conditions in the CwA states to make them more attractive for foreign private investment.

The states now include 13 African countries — Egypt, Ethiopia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo, and Tunisia.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will also attend the summit in Berlin.

The huge potential of the African continent has not yet been sufficiently utilised, according to the German government.

However, there are also deficits in the rule of law and respect for human rights, widespread corruption and practical problems such as the convertibility of currencies.

Europe has begun to take a serious initiative to engage with African countries to try to counter Chinese and Russian influence.

(dpa/NAN)