‍

‍

The German Africa Foundation has awarded this year's honorary prize to the “Aid by Trade Foundation.” Its founder, Hamburg-based entrepreneur Michael Otto, received the prize at a ceremony in the German Bundestag. The Foundation recognized the entrepreneurial initiative for its long-standing commitment to contribute to economic development through trade. This includes the “Cotton Made in Africa” project, which not only creates decent jobs but also increases agricultural production in African countries and at the same time protects the environment, for example by avoiding irrigation or using GMO-free seeds. Otto founded the now award-winning organization in 2005.

‍

“The Foundation's work is a successful model for public-private cooperation. [It] succeeded in establishing a profitable and effective public-private partnership,” emphasized Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Bärbel Kofler. Around one million small farmers and their families in ten African countries have now benefited from Cotton Made in Africa. The initiative, which was supported by the BMZ from the outset, also stands for successful cooperation between business and development cooperation — a goal that the new federal government would like to further strengthen in the current legislative period. According to founder Otto, around 30 percent of African cotton production now meets the organization's standards.

‍