World Bulletin/News Desk

Germany on Thursday pledged an additional 24.5 million euro to support the implementation of various African Union (AU) Commission programs.

The announcement was made at a press conference held at AU headquarters in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

"Africa can better solve its security challenges and implement its development agenda on its own," Christoph Rauh, an official at the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, said at the presser.

"We want to support the African Union to [allow it to] make substantial progress on the political and economic integration of Africa," he added.

"The peaceful development of Africa is central to combating the root causes of hunger and migration," Rauh stressed.

Joachim Schmidt, German ambassador to Ethiopia, for his part, described the pan-African body's role in shaping Africa's future as "essential."

"That's why Germany will continue to be at the forefront in supporting the AU's efforts," he added.

AU Commission Deputy Chairperson Erastus Mwencha praised the German contributions, paying tribute to Germany as "a real partner of the AU."

"Germany supports different programs of the AU, including [those devoted to] the peace and security, capacity-building and agriculture sectors, among others," he said.

At an earlier meeting, the AU and Germany had agreed to deepen cooperation in the areas of agriculture and food security.

Peace and security, governance, regional economic integration, infrastructure, agriculture and higher education are all considered priority areas of the burgeoning AU-Germany partnership.

Cooperation between the AU and Germany has increased over the past ten years, during which Germany has provided a total of 270 million euro – including the latest pledge – to support the AU's development programs.