GIZ South Africa

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a German federal enterprise that supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. GIZ operates throughout Germany and in more than 130 countries worldwide with 16,510 staff around the globe, almost 70 per cent of whom are employed locally as national personnel.

German development cooperation with South Africa, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), began in 1993. A country office opened in Pretoria in 1996. Today, GIZ has around 180 staff working in South Africa, more than 60 per cent of whom are local staff.

Thematic priorities in German development cooperation with South Africa are:

• Governance and administration
• Green economy
• HIV and AIDS
• Skills development

GIZ is also implementing various ambitious education programmes, focusing not only on skills development but also on youth development and violence and crime prevention. It has been engaged in South Africa’s peaceful transition since 1992. GIZ operates on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) and international organisations and institutions, such as the European Union.

For more information, visit the GIZ South Africa country page.