Press Release of 11 January 2011

Sven Grimm, long-term researcher at the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), is new Director at the Centre for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University in South Africa since the beginning of this year.

During his time at DIE, Grimm worked predominantly on the Africa policy of the European Union and on the Africa engagement of emerging economies such as South Africa and China. He headed the project “European Policy for Global Development“ as well as the work package on “New actors in international development” of the international project consortium on “European Development Cooperation to 2020“.

As Director of the Centre for Chinese Studies, Grimm will continue to work empirically on external actors in African states. The focus of interest is China’s political, economic and social engagement in Africa, the respective actors and the comparative view on Asian approaches and those of other actors.

After his studies of political science, history and journalism at the Universities of Hamburg (Germany), Accra (Ghana) and Dakar (Senegal), Grimm had worked at the London-based Overseas Development Institute (ODI) before he joined the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) in 2005.

The DIE would like thank Sven Grimm for the excellent cooperation over the years and wishes him all the best for his new and exciting task in South Africa.