The heads of state and government in Europe and Africa give assurances that the fifth EU-Africa summit and the first African Union-European Union summit, which finished in Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d’Ivoire, on Thursday 30 November, was not a re-release of big speeches full of good intentions.
In their view, it is the starting point for a fairer and stronger strategic and political partnership that is "between equals", to help peace, security and sustainable growth in the two continents so as to create the jobs and prosperity that young people so badly need – particularly in Africa, a continent where the population will have doubled by 2050 and where 60% of the population is already made up of under-25-year-olds.
Sustainable development in Africa, which requires massive investment in the continent to enable it to take advantage of its natural and human resources to develop its full potential, is also the best bulwark against migration to Europe and the tragic outcomes of loss of life in the Mediterranean and migrant slavery in Libya. As can be seen by the urgent decisions that were taken to stem the smuggler networks, everyone agreed to put an end to the slavery, to bring to justice the criminals guilty of this crime against humanity, to hit these criminals' wallets (through the seizure of the accounts of traffickers in Africa and also in the Middle East), and to evacuate their victims immediately in order to repatriate them (see other article and EUROPE 11915).
"We have reached a consensual declaration. This is not about concluding, but about opening a new page in our history for the next three years. It is about reinventing our partnership and accelerating its results. Never have our emergencies been so pressing", Côte d’Ivoire's President Alassane Ouattara stated, saying that he was delighted about the adoption of a political declaration (on investment in young people for sustainable development, peace and security, peace and migration and governance in its entirety), a joint declaration on migration and concrete commitments for a 2018-2022 action plan.
"The prospects of our two continents give us reasons for hope, if we seize the opportunities. We have listened to young people. We do not have the right to let them down. I ask you to implement our conclusions and commitments quickly", he told the participants at the end of the summit.
Among these commitments is one on stepping up work on quality education and professional skills, with a particular focus on girls.
As regards resilience, peace and security, the AU and EU agreed to strengthen their capacities for preventing security and food crises (be these crises caused by the impact of climate change or conflict situations or terrorist threats) – challenges calling for coordinated responses from Europe and Africa.
The two parties agreed to promote investment for Africa's structural growth and the creation of jobs.
On the migration and mobility front, commitment was taken to fight against the reasons why young Africans leave their country to go and live in Europe.
"The two continents are interdependent because they are linked by history and geography, as well as their shared resolve to increase their trade in the interest of their people and the two continents' economies. Africa aspires to peace and development. The future will require a more complex interconnection, to create added value in Africa. We no longer want to be the suppliers of raw materials", the current chairperson of the African Union, Alpha Condé, stated.
This was the spirit of the declaration that was adopted. As far as knowing what, in terms of results, will make this summit different from the previous four, Condé said that "when Africa is united and speaks with a single voice, it is stronger. Without cacophony, we can no longer be divided". And he stated that Africa had said it was against the intervention in Libya. "Obama said it was the biggest error committed. They understood that they must listen to Africa".
Speaking to press, the chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, highlighted the challenge that the development of an industrial policy in Africa represents. "We want Africa to replace China as the factory of the world", he said. He also wanted an end to big and empty statements, and gave assurances that with time his institution and the European Commission will move on an assessment of everything that has been agreed. "We want to take stock before the next summit, to fine-tune the commitments and make them effective". While the EU and AU are on the same wavelength for organising legal migration alongside the fight against illegal migrants, "our objective is to keep African young people in African countries for the development of these countries", he said.
Stating that "the European Union is Africa’s (...) biggest investor, its biggest trading partner, its biggest provider of development aid and humanitarian assistance as well as its biggest contributor in peace and security", European Council President Donald Tusk said that "this summit demonstrated our determination to reinforce our partnership even more".
Tusk repeated his call to impose UN sanctions on human smugglers and traffickers. He also called on all the European leaders to live up to their commitment to replenish the EU Trust Fund for Africa (which is aimed at fighting the deep-rooted causes of migration). At the end of October, the EU member states' contribution to this fund only stood at €175 million rather than the €1.8 billion expected from them in order to equal the European Commission's contribution.
"This is about a partnership of equals because we all have the same dignity. For too long we have been teaching lessons to Africa. That time belongs to the past", European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stated. He added that Europe is a trustworthy partner and Africa's top investor, with €32 billion invested in Africa in 2015. He also said Europe is Africa's top trade partner, as its trade with Europe accounts for 41% of its foreign trade.
With regard to the vast resource of young people in Africa, and the continent's demographic growth, the desire of the EU to invest more in Africa is tangible. Its external investment plan bears witness to this, aiming to leverage €44 billion in private investment by 2020, mainly in Africa and the neighbourhood countries, "rather than throwing young people to misfortune and the sea", Juncker stated. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)