Development Policy, Colonial Continuities, and Futures of Partnership

About Project

As development cooperation adapts to shifting geopolitical realities, changing global power dynamics, and increasing demands for more equitable partnerships, questions about the enduring influence of colonialism have become central to policy debates. Germany's ongoing reform of its development policy recognises that addressing colonial continuities is essential for building credible, effective and mutually beneficial international cooperation. At the same time, African partners, civil society organisations and researchers have increasingly called for development partnerships that move beyond historical asymmetries towards more balanced forms of collaboration.

The persistence of colonial continuities is reflected in the ways development priorities are defined, knowledge is produced, partnerships are structured, and institutional incentives are designed. While development cooperation has evolved significantly over recent decades, many longstanding assumptions and power relations continue to influence policy and practice. Understanding and addressing these dynamics has become increasingly important as development cooperation seeks to respond to complex global challenges while strengthening trust, legitimacy, and shared ownership.

To contribute to this debate, APRI, under its Economy and Society Programme, partnered with GIZ’s Shaping Joint Endeavours: International Cooperation in Times of Postcolonial Change (ICPoC) initiative to undertake the Development Policy, Colonial Continuities, and Futures of Partnership project. The project combined empirical research, comparative policy analysis, and stakeholder engagement to examine how colonial continuities are understood, identified, and addressed within German and German-funded development cooperation.

The project resulted in a comprehensive research report that brings together conceptual analysis, comparative perspectives, and practical policy recommendations. The report explores approaches to identifying and addressing colonial continuities in German development cooperation, presents country case studies from selected former German colonies in Africa, examines donor-country policies aimed at confronting colonial legacies, and analyses the role of the African diaspora in shaping more inclusive and equitable development partnerships.

Alongside the report, APRI developed an interactive conceptual mapping tool that enables users to explore how academic, government, and civil society perspectives position themselves across key debates on colonial continuities and development cooperation. Together, these outputs provide policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and civil society actors with practical resources to engage critically with contemporary development policy and support more reflective approaches to international partnership.

The project contributes to ongoing discussions about the future of German development cooperation by translating research findings into practical insights for policy reform. It supports dialogue on how development partnerships can better recognise historical legacies, navigate evolving geopolitical realities, and strengthen cooperation based on mutual respect, shared responsibility, and evidence-informed policymaking.

The central questions the project addresses are: