Dirk Niebel's visit to Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Mozambique is his first official foreign trip since taking office.

It is being seen by many as a litmus test of the intentions of the Liberal Democrat, who has vowed to bring about a fundamental shift of German policy.

Just a few days before his departure the development minister sparked controversy with his remarks that he did not see the ministry as a "benefit office for the world." This and other comments clearly indicated that he also saw his remit as representing German business interests abroad.

The fact that the Liberals (FDP) have been put in charge of this portfolio had already raised many eyebrows. During coalition talks, the party had called for the complete abolition of the post and its integration into the foreign ministry.

The right continent

But the dust raised in press reports at the beginning of the week now appears to have settled - for the time being at least. Experts have welcomed Niebel's decision to choose Africa as the destination for his first official trip abroad and acknowledged that there is considerable room for improvement in aid strategy.

Raoul Bagopha of Misereor told Deutsche Welle that his organization was reassured that the German development ministry was still primarily concerned with helping the needy, rather than pursuing economic interests.

"We believe that German aid should be focused on Africa because Africa, in particular, is suffering. It is a good choice. We welcome the fact that this reflects a continuation in thinking," said Bagopha, who coordinates the program for Central Africa for Misereor, the overseas development aid agency of the Catholic Church.

A more holistic approach to development could also benefit Africa, according to Cornelia Fuellkrug-Weitzel, head of Brot fuer die Welt, an aid organization run by Germany's protestant churches. "The churches have long demanded coherence. In the past our own economic actions have had a damaging effect on Africa," she told Deutsche Welle.

Change of paradigm

Political scientist Salua Nour greeted the focus on Africa, and the signs of a radical shift in policy. "The new approach is that we have to move away from the idea of social assistance. It is a very good, very logical conclusion drawn from the results of the last 30 years," she told Deutsche Welle.

"A lot of this money has just drained away into the government or the governing elite. Now the private sector has to be mobilized - both in the donor and recipient countries. I think that more will come from this approach," said Nour, an Africa specialist at Berlin's Free University.

The fact that Niebel has chosen Africa for his debut visit is, of course, no coincidence. There have already been signs that Germany is moving to switch aid away from emerging economies, such as China, and concentrate its efforts on the world's poorest nations.

And with the number of migrants from Africa growing, it is in the European Union's interest to do more to tackle the problems at its own back door.

"Africa is our closest neighbor and the continent where we have to do the most as far as fighting poverty is concerned and helping Africa to help itself. I would therefore like to gain an impression of our work and the situation in three important partner countries," said the minister ahead of the trip.

Shared histories, different presents

What all three nations on Niebel's agenda have in common are their experience of years of bitter civil war and fighting. However, they are at very different phases of reconstruction and development. Rwanda and DRC may be neighbors, but they, in particular, are in many ways miles apart.

Abounding in diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt and zinc, the Democratic Republic of Congo is blessed in terms of natural resources. As well as being extremely wealthy, it is very big. The third biggest state in Africa, it is roughly the same size as western Europe.

However, the country's natural riches have seldom been harnessed for the benefit of the people of the DRC. And despite the democratic elections in 2006 and the peace deal between the Congolese goverment and rebels in 2008, lawlessness and conflict continue to blight the east of the country.

"It is always difficult wherever war and civil war-like situations exist and government does not extend throughout the country. Development aid will always suffer setbacks in those circumstances," said Simone Pott, press spokeswoman for Welthungerhilfe, a German NGO.

Read more on how Germany can help in Africa

The country's top priority should be to build up an army to bring peace and stability to the country, according to Denis Tull, from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). He blames both the Congolese government and the international community for the current situation.

"A lot of money is being invested in Congo. I don't see that there is the political superstructure to manage these funds and I don't see that the international community has a coherent strategy either," Tull told Deutsche Welle.

While the government receives no direct budget aid from Germany, Berlin allocated 67 million euros ($95 million) in development aid to DRC for the period 2008-2009.

More international pressure required

Congo's international partners should be a lot more critical of the Congolose government's failure to carry out reforms and threaten to reduce, withdraw or reevaluate assistance, according to Tull.

He accuses the European Union of dragging its feet since the elections - feeling incapable of attacking the democratically elected government formed at its behest. The Congolese government, Tull says, simply has no interest in changing things for the better.

A stalled 15-million-euro project to repair the runway at the airport at Goma, in eastern Congo, is just one example of the lack of cooperation on the side of the Congolese government. Although Berlin has approved the necessary funds and work has started, its progress has inexplicably been blocked by the Congolese authorities.

Kinshasa also imposes customs tariffs on aid goods imported by Church aid agencies, who are doing the work normally carried out by the state.

Most observers agree that the DRC government could be put under more pressure by the international community. And Germany - whose colonial activities in Congo were minor in comparison with many other European countries - has a trump card here, according to Raoul Bagopha from Misereor.

More people power is the answer, according to Free University lecturer Salua Nour. She believes that the German government should help build up forces in Congo's civilian population to act as a counterweight to the government. Current microfinance provision is just a drop in the ocean, she says.

Bringing stability to Congo is key to ending the misery of millions of refugees displaced by the ongoing troubles and countless women facing the threat of rape on a daily basis.

It is also vital in environmental terms. Congo is the world's second biggest green lung after the Amazonian rainforest. And climate protection is an area where Germany, world leader in green technology, could combine its business with its ethical interests.

The different tale of Rwanda

In contrast to DRC, Rwanda, just 16 years after the genocide, is widely seen as a success story. The country's government has proved an amenable partner in dialog with donor nations, as well as a powerful driving force behind this development, according to Sven Grimm, of the German Development Institute in Bonn.

For 2009 and 2010 Berlin has pledged 38.5 million euros in aid, some 15 million of this is being paid directly into the Rwandan government's coffers.

"It is very often called into doubt whether aid really arrives where it should. If I had to name a positive example it would be Rwanda. "But there is a difference between democracy and development," Grimm told Deutsche Welle.

He also stressed that while great leaps in progress have been made since 1994 there is still far to go. The country remains underdeveloped and many inhabitants live on under a dollar a day.

Other experts also sound warning notes. Misereor's Central Africa expert praises many of Rwanda's achievements in fighting corruption, improving healthcare provision and promoting women. But Bagopha is concerned about the pace and the dirigiste style of development.

"We are not convinced that you can run a country like a military barracks. You have to take the people with you. Things are moving too quickly for many people. There is the danger that trickle does not happen and there will be an elitist development," he said.

A plea for more plurality

And despite its reputation as a shining example of good governance in East Africa, Rwanda is also not innocent as far as the plight of its chaotic neighbor is concerned.

Africa specialist Salua Nour accuses the international community of closing its eyes when it comes to Kigali's involvement in the conflict in Congo. "The presence of Rwanda in Eastern Congo is still huge. The black market in natural resources is all in Rwandan hands," she said.

On both sides of the border, there is a need for more projects designed to bring about reconciliation between the two populations. Misereor currently runs a number of programs, supported in part by German goverment funding, designed to sow the seeds of peace at a grass-roots level.

"We bring young people from Congo and Rwanda together. We want the people to see that an artificial enmity has been built up. We are calling for more support for programs to socially anchor the process of reconciliation," said Bagopha.

Author: Julie Gregson
Editor: Rob Mudge