MONROVIA (AFP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised Liberia four million euros (5.7 million dollars) to rebuild the country ravaged by civil war as she wrapped up her first sub-Saharan Africa trip on Sunday.
“We absolutely want to do it, to help Liberia back onto its feet,” Merkel said after holding talks with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the capital Monrovia.
This new pledge was in addition to the 14.4 million euros in aid Berlin had already given to the west African country.
Merkel also called for debt reduction and asked other countries to help in putting Liberia on the path towards stability and democracy.
“The visit of the chancellor is an opportunity to move our country forward,” said Sirleaf, Africa’s only female president..
“She has been very instrumental in working with the G8 to cancel all Liberian debt,” she added..
Merkel was welcomed by Sirleaf as she arrived here Sunday for a quick visit to Liberia, the third and final stop on her African tour which also included South Africa and Ethiopia.
The ceremony was attended by government members and traditional chiefs, who brought the German leader a white cockerel, a sign of friendship in Liberia.