Israel and Germany signed a Declaration of Intent in Berlin on Tuesday to cooperate on joint development projects in Africa.
The two nations will develop water and agricultural projects in Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Cameroon, Burundi and Burkina Faso.
It is hoped the program will expand to other African nations once the first six are underway, according to Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold.
It was Gold who signed the Declaration together with Thomas Silberhorn, Germany’s parliamentary state secretary for the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development.
This is not the first time the two countries have joined forces to cooperate on projects in Africa.
For that matter, Israeli assistance in Africa has long roots dating back to the days of the late Israeli stateswoman Golda Meir.
In addition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Uganda in 2005 before returning to the prime minister’s office in 2009. During the visit he dedicated a memorial plaque to his brother Yoni at the old terminal building of Entebbe International Airport.
As did Meir, Netanyahu also pointed out in a recent meeting with American Jewish leaders that building stronger ties with African nations can have advantages for Israel beyond the continent – particularly at the United Nations.