The attention of the world will turn to the Belgian capital of Brussels on February 17-18 to follow up on the 6th African Union and European Union Summit, which brings together leaders of the two continents.
The summit comes amid challenges to Africa and Europe due to Covid-19, but at the same time it is an opportunity to lay the foundations of a partnership based on common interests, mutual trust and how to build greater prosperity for the peoples of the two land masses.
European and African heads of state and government representatives are meeting in Brussels to revive the hitherto eroded inter-continental ties since the ravages of Covid-19 pandemic.
The summit will reshape the relationship between donors and recipients in Europe and Africa into an integrated partnership after several decades of African dependence on funding from Europe, which obtained cheap raw materials to be re-exported to the same countries at higher costs, resulting in trade imbalances and economic delays in Africa.
African leaders will re-assess promises by French President Emmanuel Macron for common prosperity between the two continents. They also look forward to the offers of the European Union to remain Africa’s main partner in economic development, peace and security.
The EU is working on a €20 billion finance package to support African infrastructure projects. According to Bloomberg, the package includes investments in international submarine cables, new energy interconnection projects and investments in renewable resources in Egypt, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya and Morocco.
Funding to support the partnership between the two continents will go towards the Global Gateway initiative or the European Global Gateway, which will provide €300 billion to support investments in Africa.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had said earlier that investments will be the main topic of discussions between the European Union and the African Union.
She added that Europe is the most reliable investment partner for Africa and by far the most important. The EU invests €20 billion in Africa every year, to which must be added, of course, loans that attract public and private investment.
She proudly announced the €150 billion through the Africa-Europe Programme, adding that this is the first regional plan under the Global Gateway, two months after the launch of the strategy.
The upcoming summit represents an opportunity to realise the vision of the first summit held in Cairo by the EU, the AU and the Organisation of African Unity, which led to the formation of the relationship between Europe and Africa in order to enhance the spirit of equality, cooperation and respect between the two continents.
The agenda of the Euro-African Brussels Summit includes financing for growth, health systems and vaccine production, agriculture and sustainable development, education, culture and migration, mobility, peace and security, climate change, and digitisation. The participants are expected to adopt a joint declaration on a common vision for 2030.
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