Turning the rhetoric of an ‘equal partnership’ into practice

The theme for the 20^th anniversary of Africa-Europe relationships was ‘turning the rhetoric of an ‘equal partnership’ into practice’ with an increased focus on enhancing policy continuity to foster stronger collaboration between Europe and Africa.

In the face of the overlapping crises of COVID-19, climate change, the war in Ukraine and the ensuing impacts on food and energy security, which have highlighted the clear economic and power imbalances between Europe and Africa, the theme was timely. The theme acknowledges the sentiment that equal partnerships between Europe and Africa have often been rhetorical, seldom implemented in practice and, if so, at what some will call a ‘snail’s pace’. This underpins the need for dialogue to conceptualise how to move into practice in a relatively swift and efficient manner.

When prompted ‘What is the sentiment around EU partnerships with Africa?’, answers from ChatGPT and Bard revealed both positive and negative sentiments. Some of the positive sentiments included:

• trading, highlighting the EU as Africa’s largest trading partner;
• peace and security, emphasising how the EU has helped promote peace and security in Africa; and
• governance, underlining how the EU has worked with African countries to improve governance and human rights on the African continent.

Some of the negative sentiments included:

• power dynamics, underscored by some African leaders’ concerns around the EU’s ‘neocolonial’ attitude towards Africa;
• fragmented and short-term approaches, highlighting that the EU is not doing enough to support Africa in addressing its long-term development challenges; and
• motives and beliefs, stressing the concern that the EU is exploiting Africa’s natural resources.

The above information, according to ChatGPT and Bard, was sourced from the European Commission, the African Union, the United Nations and academic research.

Unsatisfied by these results and after conducting a sentiment analysis of social media networks, I found Development reimagined, a pioneering, African-led, women-led and award-winning international development consultancy. In a piece published around the EU-AU Summit, held on 17-18 February 2022, which focused on the Global Gateway, analysts at Development reimagined criticised the sentiment that the Global Gateway was a point of departure of a new alliance. “From an African perspective, it is unclear what exactly this new alliance is a departure from. The Africa-EU relationship does not need yet another reinvention. What it needs is for promises of summits-gone-by to be fulfilled,” the piece argued, highlighting “Europe’s concerns over the increase in China’s influence across the African continent.”

Grassroots sources provide a more nuanced perspective compared to institutional sources. The nuanced difference between the Development reimagined publication and the responses from ChatGPT and Bard begins to underscore some of the challenges that we face with the advent of AI, such as who is leading its development, the data it is being trained on and, therefore, its overall influence.

For further context, of the EU’s Global Gateway flagship programmes, 49% focus on climate and Energy, 36% on transport, 10% on digital and 5% on education and research. When asked to rank China’s contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa, African ambassadors placed China’s contribution to SDG 1 (No poverty) at the top, followed by SDG 3 (Good health and wellbeing) and SDG8 (Decent work and economic growth). Analysis of these trends suggests that there is a perception that China focuses on the development of people, while the EU focuses on the planet and prosperity. Consciously or subconsciously, this could be an influencing factor in the sentiments and perceptions of the EU’s relationships.

The EU’s focus on flagship programmes prioritising climate, energy and transport appears to be influencing the perception of the EU and the types of investments being made. This may be affecting a move towards a practical equal partnership because of a donor-recipient dynamic.

Is the challenge about what the EU is focusing on and financing or how it is approaching these partnerships?

Participants at a Friends of Europe’s State of Europe roundtable discussion agreed that the challenge lies in how the EU approaches Africa-Europe partnerships

The effect of Europe’s colonial legacy

The historical context of the relationship between Europe and Africa is a crucial point to be brought to the fore. Europe still underestimates the neocolonialism aspect of the two continents’ history, as well as how this affects partnerships and how these partnerships are viewed today. The relationship between Europe and Africa comes with remnants of colonialist rhetoric that, although not explicitly stated, may bear or be considered with similar nuance. This includes statements such as ‘promoting European values’, thereby holding a perception of Europe being ‘better’.

Furthermore, there appears to be a disconnect between the financial architecture of investment and the communication that is used to describe the purpose of these funds versus what is realistically possible with the funds provided. This elucidates questions, such as:

• Are the sectors in which investments are made the most important sectors for African countries?
• How are these sectors decided upon?
• Who stands to benefit more from these investments – European or African countries?
• How much is invested in these developments compared to how much is needed for the successful long-term implementation of these developments?
• What is the finance flow into these countries?
• What are the interest rates?
• Are the requirements around financing restrictive or supportive?

Bearing in mind the above list is not exhaustive and acknowledging that the drivers of Europe-Africa partnerships may have changed, infrastructure investments that bear similarity with colonialist investment strategies, compounded with processes that are less transparent than desired from the African continent’s perspective, indirectly breed mistrust. Roundtable discussants acknowledged that there have been developments and democratic failures between specific EU member states and certain African countries, as well as within African countries. The effect has frequently led to a broad-stroke view that one EU member state’s actions are a representation of Europe as a whole and vice versa.

Connecting climate and energy to everyday perceptions

The Global Gateway may be having a different effect to that which was intended when it was created. While flagship programmes such as building infrastructure are crucial, conceptualising ways to engage with and involve communities is critical, for example, by connecting transport, climate and energy to health and wellbeing, the effects of which would be felt through the positive development of the everyday person’s daily life.

Furthermore, it is essential to acknowledge that every African country has different needs. In some countries, political support may be more important than capital for development, while in other countries, capital for development is required in different areas.

The urgency to promote African countries’ agency

Last but certainly not least is the importance of emphasising that Europe is the partner supporting the needs of African countries through systems, processes and financing. When entering Africa-Europe partnerships, which have historically had a power imbalance, empowering African countries to identify beneficial areas of development and support sets precedence and opens communication to design a partnership that is practically equal and beneficial to both partners.

Conclusion

When talking about gender, Simone de Beauvoir famously said in 1949, “Humanity is male, and man defines woman not in herself but as relative to him: she is not regarded as an autonomous being […] He is the Subject; he is the Absolute. She is the Other.” Often, the relationship between Europe and Africa has felt similar sentiments with Europe being male, the absolute, and Africa being female, the other.

Discussions around turning the rhetoric of an ‘equal partnership’ into practice between Europe and Africa have been long ongoing. Redressing this conversation, similar to that of gender inequalities, will take intentional will, process design and redesign, as well as innovative and creative personnel from both continents, backed by financial infrastructures that are committed to long-term partnership. A suggested first step would be developing and documenting a best practice case scenario – in which the how is as, if not more, important than the what and the why – between the EU and one African country.

At the President’s Gala Dinner ahead of State of Europe, Mary Fitzgerald asked Ellen Johnson Sirleaf what keeps her hopeful, to which she responded: “That we can still sit together and dialogue. We can expand the dialogue…  it keeps us going.”

If dialogue was the only goal, then we certainly achieved that in the conversation around turning the rhetoric of Africa-Europe equal partnerships into practice. However, the ultimate goal is tied to why we engage in dialogue. We engage in dialogue in the hope of creating a future of practical equal partnerships between Europe and Africa – and that is yet to be achieved.

This article is derived from the author’s ‘early-bird briefing’ session at Friends of Europe’s high-level State of Europe roundtable, ‘10 policy choices for a Renewed Social Contract in Europe’, held in Brussels on 9 November 2023. The views expressed in this #CriticalThinking article reflect those of the author(s) and not of Friends of Europe.