GIZ: How a development appointment became political

BERLIN — A controversy that erupted at the end of last year over the nomination of a politician with no development background to the management board of the German Corporation for International Development, or GIZ, underscores that as Germany becomes a more significant player on the international aid scene, greater domestic scrutiny will follow.

Though technically a consulting corporation with a range of clients, GIZ counts the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, or BMZ, as its largest patron and the corporation is often the face of Germany's development activities to the rest of the world.