Hungary Helps Program Reaches Two Million Africans in Need

“One of the most significant chapters in 21st-century history is being written in Africa, but we must not ignore the fact that the continent faces numerous challenges,” the State Secretary responsible for programs to help persecuted Christians said on Tuesday, at the 3rd Hungary-Africa Week in Budapest.

Tristan Azbej pointed out that there are those who view Africa as a danger and a risk, and those who view it as an opportunity. The state secretary said that Africa is facing numerous challenges, and that these challenges are not distant from the Hungarian people. Among the challenges and threats, he mentioned the lack of infrastructure, the consequences of climate change, armed conflicts, and the persecution of Christians, that, in his words, are the root causes of illegal migration to Europe.

Therefore, he emphasized,

the root causes of the crises must be addressed, thus enabling the people living there to live out their future in their homeland.

The state secretary mentioned wars and armed conflicts in Africa as another danger, adding that the war in Ukraine is a “shared risk, shared loss, and shared tragedy.” He noted that it is now a fact that those who are trying to prolong the war in Ukraine with arms shipments are in fact also fueling conflicts in Africa, as a significant portion of the arms shipments intended for Ukraine end up in Africa after a while. In addition, the war in Ukraine has exacerbated the food crisis in Africa, as Ukrainian grain shipments are not reaching Africa, he pointed out.

The state secretary emphasized that African partners can count on the Hungarian government to promote local prosperity, peacemaking, stability, and peaceful coexistence. He added that the Hungarian government’s Africa policy differs from that of countries with a “burdensome historical presence” on the continent.

Tristan Azbej on a humanitarian mission. Photo: Hungary Helps

“We are tired of and reject others trying to tell us how to live, in what direction to build and develop our country. We, therefore, sympathize with those African partners who are tired of and reject attempts from outside Africa to impose so-called Western liberal values on them, lecture them and tell them in a condescending manner how to build their future.”

Tristan Azbej reported that

one of the priority areas of the Hungary Helps program is the African continent, where the program has helped two million people so far. Partnerships have been established in 28 African countries in the areas of humanitarian aid, agricultural and other infrastructure development.

They have provided assistance in African countries, such as Ghana, Congo, and Nigeria, he said, adding that they have never done so in a condescending manner, but rather in the spirit of partnership.

It is also in Hungary’s well-understood strategic interest for Africa to be a developing, peaceful continent, the state secretary emphasized.

Fact

The Hungary Helps Program is a specific national model that strengthens international humanitarian engagement. Through humanitarian aid provided under the Hungary Helps Program, the government is helping people in need to stay in their home country, and if possible, to return to it. The program also aims to help persecuted Christians around the world, especially in the Middle East.

France Mutombo, Honorary Consul of the Democratic Republic of Congo and President of the Foundation for Africa, which organized Hungarian-African Week, said that the aim of the event was to create a platform for decision-makers, companies, researchers, and representatives of civil society organizations to strengthen Hungarian-African relations.

He emphasized:

For Hungary, Africa is not a periphery or a minor player, but a strategic partner. For several years, Hungary has been consistently building its Africa policy through educational cooperation, economic investment, and diplomatic openness, the results of which are now being felt regionally.”

He emphasized that the 3rd Hungarian-African Week is a meeting point and another step towards showing that Hungarian-African relations are not arbitrary, but deliberate.

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