Oliver Hermes: “Everyone must stand shoulder to shoulder for sustainable development”

Wilo CEO joins panel discussion with German Federal Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan and meets World Bank President Ajay Banga

Berlin. What opportunities and risks do partnerships with countries of the Global South entail? The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) addressed this question at a high-profile conference in Berlin, which was also attended by Oliver Hermes. In a panel discussion with Reem Alabali Radovan, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Debra Mallowah, Head of Africa at Bayer Crop Science, and Christiane Laibach, Member of the Executive Board of KfW Banking Group, the President & Global CEO of the Wilo Group spoke in favour of a new perspective on the Global South.

“We must see the countries of the Global South as independent players in the global economy. They have their own interests, which they will assert confidently. Partnerships on an equal footing are needed between the countries of the North and South in which the interests of the other side are taken seriously”, Hermes explained during the event. For the ministry, the conference marks the starting signal for integrating the German economy more closely into development policy work. At the centre of the initiative is an action plan with three priorities intended to promote sustainable growth and fair partnerships worldwide.

These topics were also the focus of the Wilo CEO’s subsequent meeting: In an exchange with Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank, Hermes emphasised the importance of partnerships between players from politics, business, science and financing: “Sustainable development, for example in the Global South, is not just a political task. We need everyone to stand shoulder to shoulder: only by joining forces can we really make a difference – and find effective answers to the challenges posed by global megatrends.”