Africa, Europe and Friends of Europe

As Africa and Europe seek to revise and re-energise their partnership, Friends of Europe is embarking on a new and exciting journey to further expand and intensify its work on Africa-Europe relations.
The Covid 19 pandemic, causing devastation in both Europe and Africa, has made it even more imperative that Europe and Africa act urgently to modernise and revitalise their relations – and partnership narratives.

Africa and Europe have a shared interest in implementing Agenda 2030, tackling pandemics and the climate emergency, ensuring food security and better connectivity.
Our work and interest in Africa are not new. For many years, through publications and high-level events, Friends of Europe has made an important impact on the global debate on sustainable development, with a special focus on Africa.

Together with the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and Bono’s ONE Campaign, Friends of Europe has also created an impressive, independent and informal network of top-level African and European leaders who provide regular input and recommendations on improving relations between the two continents.

This High-Level Group of Personalities, comprising a number of former heads of state, is currently engaged in crafting recommendations on the different ways in which Africa and Europe can work together to accelerate health cooperation between the two continents and Africa’s green transformation.

We are now going further. Through the “Africa Europe Alliance”, a new project we are undertaking with the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and IPEMED, Friends of Europe will be leading a strategic and continuous dialogue via high-level Task Forces dealing with Africa’s digital economy, transport and connectivity, sustainable energy and sustainable agriculture with input from business, politics and civil society.

Special attention will be paid to health questions, involving younger generations, SMEs, women, sustainability and climate change.

Our annual “Africa Summit”, attended by top African and European policymakers, business leaders and civil society representatives, has been in the forefront of demands for an updated Africa-Europe partnership and keeps track of Africa’s continuing and varied transformations.

The Development Policy Forum (DPF) we lead brings together key European and international development actors and remains in the forefront of analysing and assessing progress towards achieving Agenda 2030. Its focus on health issues will increase.

All these activities and publications have one common aim: to make an impact on ongoing decisions, meetings and conversations on boosting Africa-Europe ties through building inclusive networks and accelerating Africa’s green transformation.

Building a truly modern Africa-Europe partnership is top of the agenda for the African Union, African governments and for Europe. It is also an important priority for Friends of Europe. We will ensure that these two tracks inspire and feed into each other’s work.