The Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) is a German political foundation closely linked to the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). As a co-founder of the CDU and the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967) combined conservative, liberal and Christian-social traditions. To this day, freedom, justice and solidarity are the basic principles that guide the work of the foundation. His name stands for the democratic reconstruction of Germany, the anchoring of foreign policy in a transatlantic community of values, the vision of European unification and the orientation towards the social market economy. His spiritual legacy continues to be both a task and an obligation for us.

With our European and international cooperation, we work to ensure that people can live self-determined lives in freedom and dignity. We make a value-oriented contribution to ensuring that Germany lives up to its growing responsibility in the world.

We want to encourage people to help shape the future in this way. With more than 111 offices and projects in over 120 countries worldwide, we make an independent contribution to promoting democracy, the rule of law and the social market economy. In order to secure peace and freedom, we support ongoing foreign and security policy dialogue and exchange between cultures and religions.

For us, the focus is on people in their unmistakable dignity, their rights and obligations. For us, it forms the starting point for social justice, liberal democracy and sustainable economic activity. By bringing people together who accept their social responsibility, we develop active networks in politics, business and society. Our political knowledge management improves the chances of making globalization socially just, ecologically sustainable and economically efficient.

 

We work in partnership with state institutions, political parties, civil society organizations and selected elites. Through our goals and values, we want to continue to deepen regional and global political cooperation, especially in development policy. Together with our partners, we contribute to an international order that enables every country to develop freely and independently.

 

Regional Program for Political Dialogue in Sub-Saharan Africa (PolDiSSA)

PolDiSSA was launched in 2021 with the aim of strengthening political dialogue with and within Africa. The following measures have started or are being planned:

 

E-Lection Bridge Africa

The program, implemented by the KAS Media Program Africa until 2021, is now the responsibility of PolDiSSA and promotes the capacities of political parties in the field of political communication with a special focus on strengthening campaigning ability.

 

KAS School for Young Politicians (KASYP)

The KASYP program aims to motivate and qualify young political professionals up to the age of 35 in furthering their political engagement. The two-year training course will strengthen the skills (social-communicative, organizational and professional, including personal) of selected young politicians from Sub-Saharan Africa relevant for political engagement. An English and a French version of the training is planned.

 

African Policy Circle (APC)

APC works through research and education on issues on the foreign and development policy agenda from an African perspective. In this way, the expertise of African think tanks is to be networked and bundled and incorporated into political judgment and decision-making within and outside of Africa.

 

Promoting value-based politics in sub-Saharan Africa

Through our collaboration with the Democratic Union of Africa (DUA) and its youth wing, Young Democratic Union of Africa (YDUA), value-based politics is promoted from the perspective of centre-right parties. We cooperate with both government and opposition parties. The aim of this work is to strengthen political parties as the bearers of representative democracy in Africa.