Making Feminist Foreign Policy Work for Africa

This policy brief examines Germany's adoption of a Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) and its application to Africa, specifically through the Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation's (BMZ) 2023 Africa Strategy. The author argues that while the strategy shows normative progress by aligning with African-led priorities and addressing colonial legacies, the 'feminist reflex' remains largely confined to international development rather than being integrated across all foreign policy domains such as trade, security, and migration.

• Germany's new Africa Strategy, 'Shaping the Future with Africa' (launched January 2023), marks a shift toward more equal cooperation by aligning with the African Union's Agenda 2063 and emphasizing solidarity over imposition.
• The German approach to Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) in Africa is currently inconsistent because feminist principles are primarily applied to international development cooperation rather than being embedded across all foreign policy areas.
• The BMZ's feminist development policy explicitly aims to dismantle structural inequalities, including the legacies of colonialism and racism, and to support marginalized groups such as LGBTQI+ individuals and indigenous communities.
• In the realm of peace and security, the author argues that Germany should move beyond formal structures like FemWise-Africa to support feminist-led civil society organizations that can reach the most marginalized, including queer Africans.
• The current Africa Strategy fails to address the 'care economy'—the unpaid care work primarily performed by poor women—which the author identifies as a critical omission for achieving a truly feminist-informed economic approach.
• Regarding climate change, the author critiques Germany's role as a 'masculinist protector' and suggests that a feminist approach must integrate indigenous knowledges and practices rather than just acknowledging indigenous rights.
• While Germany's approach to migration in the BMZ Africa Strategy is described as more pragmatic than other European nations, it still lacks policy frameworks that address intersecting vulnerabilities caused by racism, homophobia, and transphobia.

APA

Haastrup, T. (2023). Making Feminist Foreign Policy Work for Africa. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/making-feminist-foreign-policy-work-for-africa

Chicago

Haastrup, Toni. Making Feminist Foreign Policy Work for Africa. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2023. https://afripoli.org/making-feminist-foreign-policy-work-for-africa.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Haastrup |first1=Toni |title=Making Feminist Foreign Policy Work for Africa |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=18 April 2023 |url=https://afripoli.org/making-feminist-foreign-policy-work-for-africa |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{haastrup2023making, author = {Haastrup, Toni}, title = {{Making Feminist Foreign Policy Work for Africa}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://afripoli.org/making-feminist-foreign-policy-work-for-africa}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }