Germination of hope

Europe-Africa relations

Text Robert Kappel

Africa-Europe relations have entered a paralysis phase during the last decade, despite many new programs. This is even more astonishing because both continents are very closely linked. Moreover, China, India, Russia and other emerging countries are influencing African developments. And, more importantly, the African continent is undergoing a tremendous transformation, characterized by urbanization, new economic dynamics and still major crises: climate and employment crises and significantly increasing food supply problems.

In Kibera Slums, most residents especially the street vendors, private schools, Nongovernmental Organizations, street lights, and schools areall using the cheap solar energy system which is a more reliable andcheap source of energy.

Already in the shadow of Russia’s attack on Ukraine and France’s announced withdrawal from Mali, the 6th EU-AU Summit was held in Brussels in February 2022. In the final declaration “A Joint Vision for 2030”, the Heads of State and Government of the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) emphasize “the increasing common challenges and opportunities”. They commit to developing a shared vision for a renewed partnership. They want to overcome the COVID crisis and develop a common framework for debt management. In addition, the states agreed to fight illegal financial flows, to strengthen scientific cooperation and to promote the exchange of students. Cooperation within the framework of the African Peace and Security Architecture is also to be strengthened.

Financial resources were at the center of the discussions. An African-European Global Gateway Investment Package of 150 billion euros will be launched. The investments are intended to help build diversified, inclusive, sustainable and resilient economies and include measures on financing growth, migration, private sector support, climate change and energy transition, digital and transport, among others. The Global Gateway Investment Package, through its infrastructure programs, also aims to contain China’s geopolitically driven “Road and Belt” initiative.

Europe and Africa, despite all signs of fatigue, are perhaps closer than they think.

The debates on access to Corona vaccines were controversial. The parties finally agreed on a technology transfer: vaccines are to be produced under license in six African states. Another fault line in the partnership was also discussed. While the EU and its members never tire of calling for an energy turnaround on the continent, the African states stress that they are not responsible for climate change, but that they suffer the most, for example through the loss of biodiversity. The heads of state and government therefore called for more support in adapting to the energy transition and mitigating the consequences of climate change.

More challenges than ever

In all the talks, China’s shadow hovered over the Brussels summit. For China has clearly positioned itself in the “Scramble of Africa”. The country has become one of the most important economic players and a privileged partner. Russia’s actions in African countries are also of great concern to the EU, because in the Sahel, Russia has advanced to become a strategic counter-power to France and the EU.

The summit was an old-style cooperation summit. The EU promises funding and launches more and more new programs. The common agenda focuses on climate and vaccination strategies, but the central challenges on the continent are sidelined: Concepts on the future of work, the fight against poverty, industrialization, challenges of urbanization, restructuring of Africa’s volatile commodity economies and, above all, the further development of the AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area).

French President Emmanuel Macron embraces Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta during a meeting on the second day of the 6th EU-AU Summit.

The Europeans wanted to take the partnership “to the next level”. Instead of the “New Deal”, the Europeans could have created new trust by anticipating Africa’s great transformation and future challenges and struggling to find common solutions. Unfortunately, no agenda. One could also have expected that the African states would have formulated their conception for a new cooperation. Unfortunately, this was also not the case. So, the summit remains a missed opportunity. It was dominated by the EU, which failed to follow up on African initiatives or to create new coordination mechanisms for cooperation. Europe had presented a partnership Vision 2030 at the summit but failed to involve African governments and stakeholders in advance.

Europe and Africa, despite all signs of fatigue, are perhaps closer than they think, having largely bid farewell to the donorrecipient relationship and are debating the re-alignment of relations. A wide range of actors on both sides—youth representatives, industry associations, businesses, civil societies, cultural practitioners, trade experts, research institutions, funding institutions, etc.—are meeting in different forums to discuss a future agenda. Never before has the engagement of African non-state actors been so great. They want to help overcome the paralysis of European-African cooperation through soft-power networks and joint activities. A hopeful sign.

Robert Kappel

is an economist and works at the Institute for African Studies at the University of Leipzig. He ranks among Germany’s leading Africa experts and runs the Competence Center and Postgraduate Program Small Enterprise Promotion and Training (SEPT).