• German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul calls for addressing the root causes of migration in African countries during his visit to Tunisia and Algeria.
• Wadephul emphasizes the need for cooperation between Germany and Tunisia to improve economic conditions and combat human-smuggling networks contributing to the migration crisis.
• Germany and Algeria deepen their energy supply partnership, with a focus on green hydrogen production, as part of Wadephul's efforts to strengthen ties with North African countries.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called for greater efforts to address the causes of the migration crisis in African countries during a visit to Tunisia and Algeria.

After meeting with Tunisian Foreign Minister Mohamed Nafti in Tunis on Monday, Wadephul said: "The unstable situation in the Sahel repeatedly contributes to people setting off toward the north, toward Europe."

"We have to tackle the causes together and make sure that the economic situation in these countries genuinely improves," he added.

Wadephul blamed "irresponsible human-smuggling gangs" for the deaths of migrants while travelling through Tunisia, Algeria, Libya and other countries.

Nafti said that many migrants were victims of smuggling networks and were being exploited by criminal gangs. "We should all work together to find solutions to this problem," he said, describing migration as an "important and dangerous issue."

In Tunis, Wadephul was received by President Kais Saied, in an unusual diplomatic gesture for a foreign minister. The minister had previously met representatives of German companies in Tunisia. At a digital centre, he also met representatives of several start-ups.

There, he spoke to a young Tunisian woman who has received a scholarship to study in Germany after achieving the country's best high-school graduation results this year.

Yasmine Yaakoubi, 18, plans to first learn German in Heidelberg and then study engineering in Munich. She said she intends to return to her home country later to use her skills there and give something back to Tunisia.

Wadephul said the two countries could offer each other a great deal, particularly in the field of energy cooperation, in order to jointly create greater growth and prosperity.

"Together, we can turn the Mediterranean into a region of strength between our two continents," he said.

Tunisia and Germany are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year. According to Wadephul, Germany is Tunisia's third-most important export market.

He said that resilient supply chains were particularly important to the German automotive industry, noting that around 7,500 young Tunisians were studying in Germany, while Tunisian skilled workers made a valuable contribution to Germany's healthcare system.

In the early evening, Wadephul arrived in Algeria, the second stop on his North African tour, where he met Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf.

On Tuesday, the German minister is also due to meet President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. A meeting with representatives of German companies operating in Algeria is also planned.

According to Wadephul, Algeria is already one of the EU's most important gas suppliers.

Its importance is expected to grow further given the country's considerable potential as a future producer and supplier of green hydrogen, the minister said at the start of his trip.

Germany and Algeria agreed in July to significantly deepen their energy supply partnership.