Where A German Truck Company Goes To Recruit Drivers: The Heart Of Africa

CAPE TOWN — Ichaka Badayara was attending a lecture at a university in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, when a friend called. A German trucking company was coming to recruit drivers, he said: “That could be something for you.”

The 21-year-old did not hesitate to submit his application. After a two-day selection process, Badayara was successful: He and 18 other candidates were chosen by the Cologne-based trucking company Emons to travel to Germany and begin a three-year truck driver apprenticeship. His visa has been approved, and all necessary permits from the German authorities are in place.

“For me, this is a dream I’ve had since I was a child,” Badayara said exuberantly over the phone, in good German. But this dream job for Badayara, is not even considered by many young people in Germany. Few industries face as a severe a personnel shortage as the trucking sector, which lacks 100,000 truck drivers. Companies have tried, unsuccessfully, to attract young people in schools, and in Eastern Europe, where interest is low due to high competition from other industrialized countries.

The shortage of skilled workers could soon become the biggest threat to Germany’s economy, employer associations have warned. German ministers are increasingly addressing the issue during their trips to Africa.

Economic threat

Last year, Labor Minister Hubertus Heil and Finance Minister Christian Lindner both traveled to Ghana. And Chancellor Olaf Scholz created enormous expectations during a visit to Kenya last year. After the talks, Kenyan President William Ruto claimed there were 250,000 jobs in Germany for his compatriots.

The first German migration agreements in sub-Saharan Africa are close to being signed with Ghana and Kenya. The aim is to do more than just repatriation—neither country is among a main source of illegal migrants.

Uncontrolled immigration is far more present in political debate than the often-promised and urgently needed legal migration pathways. This is gradually changing. Germany has already set up dedicated recruitment websites, complete with hotlines, for countries such as Namibia and Tunisia.

Cutting out the middlemen

So why has a family-run company like Emons, with 3,600 employees worldwide, set out on its own in search of staff? And why in Burkina Faso, a country that recently made headlines due to a coup?

“We thought we would take matters into our own hands,” said Christiane Bauer, head of Human Relations at Emons. The company is currently training 35 truck driver apprentices and has the capacity for up to 100.

“In Germany, the focus is mostly on already trained skilled workers abroad.”

The company has set up a website in six languages, including Serbian, Portuguese and Spanish. Each page clearly states: no cooperation with external recruitment agencies. Bauer doesn’t want to generalize, but she’s heard too many stories of applicants lured with empty promises, having to pay four-figure sums by dubious middlemen. She wants to select the candidates herself and build trust from the outset.

The French-language section of the website has sparked great interest in francophone Africa. Bauer said her boss encouraged her to fly to Congo, where Emons had funded some primary schools.

Tapping into existing networks 

Bauer speaks French and built on existing networks. She quickly convinced the German embassy there and secured support from the local Goethe-Institut for the necessary language courses. The first eight trainees of a pilot project have just completed their first year.

“Everything fits,” Bauer said. Her company thinks comprehensively, providing accommodation, a week-long introduction course in Germany and ongoing communication with all parties involved. While there were initial reservations in communities and sometimes among employees, those concerns have long since disappeared, Bauer said.

This issue is also “greatly underrepresented” in training events for German employers.

The attendance rate of Congolese trainees at the vocational school is “very, very good.” The visa is linked to the contract, and the apprenticeship stipend of around 1,000 euros allows trainees to send money home to relatives. The chances of being hired are “excellent,” with a good starting salary that is far higher than in their home country.

Motivation is strong, as is integration, Bauer said, noting that some trainees sing in church choirs or are active in clubs. Emons branches in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, where the Congolese apprentices are trained, have also requested apprentices from Africa for the next year.

The lucky few to make it abroad 

Competitors in the trucking industry have asked for help with recruitment. Earlier this year, Bauer traveled not only to Congo but also to Burkina Faso, where a Bavarian textile company recruited 15 apprentices last year. “In countries with weak future prospects and unstable conditions, interest is particularly high,” Bauer said.

At the end of the month, 18 apprentices from Burkina Faso will join Emons. Bauer is passionate about the project and hopes to retain the applicants in the long term. She does not downplay the bureaucratic effort involved in recruiting apprentices.

Local German embassies are cooperative, shortening wait times for visa applications and offering group appointments. But in Germany, the Skilled Workers Immigration Act primarily targets people who have already obtained a degree or completed vocational training.

Not adequately designed 

There have been some recent improvements for apprentices, but the forms are still not adequately designed. “Here, the focus is mostly on already trained skilled workers abroad, not on young school graduates without professional experience in their home country,” says Bauer.

This issue is also “greatly underrepresented” in training events for German employers. The dual training system, combining practice and theory, is very interesting for many people in Africa and offers the greatest chances for successful integration.

Bauer has had good experiences with Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, praising personal exchanges with authorities. But she criticizes the lack of digitization, unnecessarily complicated applications, and “very different levels of knowledge” among officials on the subject.

The future truck driver Badayara is undeterred. He is determined to seize his chance in Germany. He wants to work long-term at Emons and perhaps pursue further training. Driving a train also interests him.