The State of
Africa-Europe
Taking a dynamic approach, our report independently assesses the status of commitments made at the 6th EU-AU Summit in February 2022, focusing on concrete opportunities for joint collaboration.
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THE REPORT
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We call for a shift in mindset towards positive narratives and active, inclusive engagement, urging institutions to break down silos and adapt to future challenges.
With 2024 being the year for Education in the AU, skills strengthening for health workforces should be front and centre as a catalyst for building long-term, resilient health systems. Capacity building is however just one tool, and must be complemented by strengthened infrastructure, digital strategies, and emergency preparedness.
The Africa CDC is pivotal in coordinating and strengthening continental health responses. Regarding vaccine manufacturing, Team Europe’s significant investments align with the AU’s goal to produce 60% of Africa’s vaccines by 2040. Despite the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, Africa’s coverage is at 51.8%. It is imperative to ensure sustained investments in and expedite the implementation of initiatives supporting local manufacturing and the distribution of medical products.
The convening of the first health day at COP28 brought increased focus to the profound impact of climate change on human health, the severity of diseases, and the capacity of supply chains and health systems to react. A practical solution at the nexus of climate and health saw increased momentum in Dubai: clean cooking. Collaboration between Europe and Africa can raise political commitment and investment in clean cooking to match the scale of the challenge and support the establishment of governmental clean cooking ‘delivery units,’ with Kenya and Sierra Leone as champions.
60% of Africa’s vaccines for a resilient local health workforce and infrastructure
Investing in clean cooking solutions is an example of a high impact issue cutting across sectors
It is key to focus on foresight and support for a resilient local health workforce and infrastructure
Health & Pandemic Preparedness
Addressing health challenges requires a resilient health workforce.
60% of Africa’s vaccines for a resilient local health workforce and infrastructure
Investing in clean cooking solutions is an example of a high impact issue cutting across sectors
It is key to focus on foresight and support for a resilient local health workforce and infrastructure
Additional efforts such as the Youth Mobility for Africa initiative, which is backed by the EU, ERASMUS+, and the African Skills Initiative, foster connections and professional growth for youth.
A heightened emphasis on youth training and mobility across all cooperation areas can support critical policy frameworks like the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The launch of the African Space Agency in January 2023 has been an important step to deepen cooperation
European museums hold more than 460,000 African artifacts
Science, Culture, Education
Thriving collaboration in Science, Culture, and Education is propelled by the recently adopted AU-EU Innovation Agenda, serving as a framework for intensified exchanges.
The launch of the African Space Agency in January 2023 has been an important step to deepen cooperation
European museums hold more than 460,000 African artifacts
The COP28 Declaration on a Global Climate Finance Framework set clear recommendations to meet past commitments, free up fiscal space, and widen concessional financing sources. Advocacy in 2024 will build on these conversations to broaden the use of climate-resilient debt clauses and possibly expand them to include pandemics, rechannel additional Special Drawing Rights, replenish the International Development Association, the World Bank’s concessional financing arm, and develop innovative and effective.
International taxation and strengthened domestic resource mobilisation are necessary to foster self-sufficiency for country budgets eaten up by interest rates, loan repayments and converging crises.
Effectively addressing illicit financial flows necessitates a heightened political commitment from both Africa and Europe, acknowledging Europe’s role as a significant source of risk and destination for such flows. The 2015 Mbeki report advises addressing mispricing, transfer pricing, profit shifting, and confronting criminal and corrupt elements.
Africa borrows at up to eight times the cost of richer countries
The EU has a budget 276 times bigger than the AU
The AU relies on outside contributions for 66% of its annual budget
Sustainable Finance
Sustainable finance related initiatives and reforms marked all cross-continental and multilateral agendas.
Africa borrows at up to eight times the cost of richer countries
The EU has a budget 276 times bigger than the AU
The AU relies on outside contributions for 66% of its annual budget
The lack of common definitions, processes and explicit objectives for monitoring partnerships is a major challenge, exacerbated by the lack of data, particularly in relation to Member States.
The rapid ratification of AfCFTA is a critical tool addressing supply chain fragmentation at various levels to ramp up extra-regional trade, which sits at just 18% lacking infrastructure investments.
The 1st Africa Climate Summit and COP28 emphasized the potential of carbon markets to complement climate action and generate financing. By combining Europe’s expertise with Africa’s renewable energy capacity, workforce, and resources, they can lead in carbon pricing and trading for socio-economic growth. Collaborating on carbon pricing, credits, and national market plans, with investments in infrastructure and local value chains, will require developing skills, policies, and governance structures. It’s crucial for the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) metrics to include African countries for inclusive policy development recognizing externalities.
The ocean governance and blue economy sector represent a strategic domain of cooperation that is yet to be central to the AU-EU dialogue. Not only is the ocean the largest ecosystem but also a huge economic system at the heart of coastal communities, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and restoration and preservation of biodiversity. Together, Africa and Europe could drive the much-needed transformation of global multilateral systems, working towards ratifying and operationalizing the High Seas Treaty and the Global Plastic Treaty.
Africa-Europe has the potential to collaborate on effective and ambitious global carbon pricing and true carbon credits
Climate & Development
The Africa-Europe partnership merges climate action and economic development together to ensure sustainable growth.
Africa-Europe has the potential to collaborate on effective and ambitious global carbon pricing and true carbon credits
More preventive robust actions should be explored to solve burgeoning crises and ensure attention is paid to governance and economic development, complementing an EU focus which tends to emphasise security and counterterrorism
measures.
The EU should sustain support for Africa-led peace initiatives, acknowledging the long-term effort required to strengthen the AU’s security capacity in the current landscape. This objective requires sustained and adequate financing, which is arguably critical given a region’s security context can lay the foundation for sustained development or undermine progress completely, for example impacting the implementation of Agendas 2030 and 2063. By enable a stable environment, we set the stage for the successful implementation economic activities and development initiatives, smooth trade, the preservation of culture, and access to education and health services.
The Peace Support Budget comprises 43% of the AU's total budget.
The EU allocated Kyiv EUR 3.6 billion and pledged EUR 600 million to the AU for peacekeeping.
The Ibrahim Index of African Governance has reported a decline between 2017 and 2021
Peace & Security
Despite progress in peace and security, the surge in military coups since 2020 underscores challenges in addressing extremism, insecurity, and economic instability.
The Peace Support Budget comprises 43% of the AU's total budget.
The EU allocated Kyiv EUR 3.6 billion and pledged EUR 600 million to the AU for peacekeeping.
The Ibrahim Index of African Governance has reported a decline between 2017 and 2021
Only 27.2% of African migrants are in Europe, with most moving within Africa due to economic push and pull factors.
With Africa’s growing labour force set to add 796 million people by 2050, the Africa-Europe Partnership’s focus on talent and idea mobility, already exemplified by the Youth Mobility for Africa initiative, must have the strategic foresight to plan for this opportunity in knowledge and workforce exchange by ensuring alignment in the supply and demand of skills as well as efficient processes for the recognition of foreign qualifications.
Action is needed to address biased visa regimes, prevent irregular migration, and enforce human rights. Cooperation among EU Member States is vital for the creation and implementation of comprehensive and sustainable migration policies, especially with the 2024 European Parliament elections approaching.
Only 12.7% of all migrants in Europe are African
63% of Swedes reported that immigrants make the country a better place to live.
Migration & Mobility
Global migration has increased, but at a slower rate than population growth.
Only 12.7% of all migrants in Europe are African
63% of Swedes reported that immigrants make the country a better place to live.
The next AU-EU ministerial meeting should provide an opportunity to establish indicators and frameworks for systematic data collection in preparation for the 7th AU-EU Summit, scheduled to take place in one year’s time, in 2025.
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REPORT 2024
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