Opportunities for young Kenyans in ties with Germany

Kenyans in 2019 enjoy many political and social freedoms. FILE PHOTO | NMG   

By ANNETT GUNTHER

Do you remember exactly where you were 30 years ago? I do, and in my country most others also
remember: in 1989, the Berlin Wall was torn down in a peaceful revolution.

This wall, topped with barbed wire and watched by armed guards, epitomised the separation of my country into two parts with opposing political systems.

East Germany was so afraid of its own people’s desire for freedom that it had automatic weapons to kill its own citizens when they tried to escape over The Wall.

In the year before Germany’s reunification, many brave citizens in East Germany had stood up against the regime and protested, risking harsh repression and imprisonment. Their peaceful revolution in 1989 led to the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

You might have seen the images in historic recordings of ordinary German citizens on top of the hated wall, chiseling at it with small hammers and tools, streaming through the holes to visit the West.

This happened in November 1989, leading to a year of incredible change that paved the way to the political reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990.

Our reunification opened the way of the political integration of Eastern Europe into the European Union.

But looking ahead, I believe that the message of freedom and opportunity that the Fall of our Wall signifies is as important as ever today.

Kenyans in 2019 enjoy many political and social freedoms that we in East Germany in 1989 did not have.

But many Kenyans today unfortunately lack the economic opportunities to realise their full potential, separated by invisible walls from a better future.

This is, of course, something that the Kenyan government is striving to change under the Big Four Agenda of the President. And I can assure you that Germany is closely standing by you on this path.

UNIFICATION DAY

Translating our experience as much as possible to a Kenyan context is a crucial component to provide sustainable opportunities for Kenya’s youth.

Together with the Kenyan government and companies we are working on a joint programme with Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutions (TVET), as well as on the establishment of an East African-German University for Applied Sciences.

In fact, we have put our whole — and extensive —development co-operation agenda with Kenya under the theme “Bringing youth into employment”.

The various scholarships we offer to young Kenyans, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), our cultural Goethe Institut and the German School in Nairobi — open for students from Kenya, Germany and all other backgrounds — are proof of our strong and lasting relations.

Today, I remember how life-changing our reunification was for me on our Day of German Unification.

Tomorrow, I will continue my work here in Kenya to provide opportunities to many young Kenyans and strengthen the ties between our countries and peoples.

The writer is German Ambassador, Kenya.