Catching up in Africa – Nehammer in Angola: real and symbolic bridges

Chancellor Nehammer is known as a great fan of fences and walls, he repeatedly emphasizes that such barriers should be placed at the external borders of the EU. On his four-day trip to Africa, on the other hand, he wants to build bridges. Real and symbolic. As for the real thing, the visit to Angola and Ghana is mainly about opening diplomatic doors for Austrian companies.

For example, steelworker Waagner-Biro has already built 80 bridges in Angola and more projects are in the pipeline. The healthcare provider Vamed has built 58 hospitals in Ghana, and another huge hospital, similar to the AKH in Vienna, is under construction. There are always Austrian companies, such as kitchen manufacturers, who also benefit from the order, says Vamed managing director Thomas Hinterleitner.

Large business delegation on board
A business delegation of about 50 people has now traveled to Africa with the Chancellor. The areas of work vary from recycling to weather stations and hydropower to digitization and the construction of railway lines.

“If we are honest, we as the EU still have a lot of potential in cooperating and expanding the partnership with Africa,” says Nehammer. In fact, Europe has catching up to do, China and Russia have long since arrived in Africa and have gradually expanded their influence. The real bridge building is a prerequisite for symbolism: “It calls for cooperation on an equal footing, underpinned by respect and appreciation. At the heart of our conversations is building bridges in the truest sense of the word,” said the red- white-red head of government.

Salzburg election flew in the baggage
The delicate domestic politics cannot be ignored, even thousands of miles away from Austria. Aboard a chartered Boeing 737 from a low-cost Czech airline en route to Africa, one topic dominated the discussions: the elections in Salzburg.