Trilateral Cooperation
The context for development cooperation has changed rapidly over the last years. Today, developing countries face new, complex challenges due to a faster changing international environment and globalisation. This has consequences for GTZ’s approach towards development co-operation. Technical Assistance can not only rely on experiences gained in a Western context. Lessons learnt from recent development processes on the African continent, but also in Asia or America, have to be taken into account if real change is aspired.
Learning from South Africa
South Africa’s transformation process serves as such an example. Much can be learnt from the county’s social, economic and political change and development. A number of African countries have approached the South African government for assistance, as they are keen to share their experiences and to learn from the on-going processes in South Africa.
Strengthening the Partner
However, actively supporting development cooperation is a new role for South Africa to take on and it comprises new challenges. Adequate development instruments have to be elaborated and appropriate staff needs to be deployed. Germany strives to support South Africa’s endeavours through trilateral development co-operation. It provides an instrumental framework based on its own experience as a donor to build the platform for the aspired know-how transfer. The Federal German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) established a fund for trilateral development cooperation to enable third countries to directly benefit from the variety of experiences gained from South Africa’s striking transformation process.
Within the framework of a trilateral cooperation, Germany has supported an exchange between Ethiopia and South Africa, in which the South African Integrated Development Planning and Implementation (IDP) approach was adapted to the Ethiopian context. The support to the Department of Provincial and Local Government in strengthening the decentralisation in the Democratic Republic of Congo serves as another example.
Benefiting all
From Germany’s viewpoint trilateral cooperation with South Africa has various benefits. South Africa’s endeavours are complementing existing development initiatives throughout the continent and thus align with Germany’s commitment to engage in Africa’s development. In addition, cultural proximity to the third country of the tri-lateral cooperation and similar historical experiences increase the authenticity of the offered support and thus the likelihood to attain the aspired impact.
In fact, the mutual partnership is benefiting all three partners – it supports the development in the third country, deepens Germany’s engagement in Africa’s development and finally strengthens South Africa in its endeavours to give a development impetus to the region.
