Launch of the Africa Europe Foundation marks major effort to transform dialogue into action

Leading personalities from across Africa and Europe have offered their support to yesterday’s launch of the Africa Europe Foundation, a platform of platforms that will facilitate strategic dialogue, catalyse partnerships and unlock new opportunities that can transform Africa-Europe relations into action.

The Africa Europe Foundation was founded by Friends of Europe (a leading European think-tank) and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation (a leading African Foundation), in partnership with the African Climate Foundation (the first Africa-led strategic climate change grant-making foundation) and the ONE Campaign (a global movement and international not-for-profit organisation that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease).

Speaking at the announcement of the Africa Europe Foundation, the President of the Republic of Rwanda and Chairperson of the EAC (East African Community) Paul Kagame, said: “The Africa Europe partnership needs to be adapted to the times we live in today”, underlining the role of the Africa-Europe partnership on climate change and within the multilateral community, adding that “Next year the Africa-EU Summit must convey this readiness for change and progress and I look forward to the new Africa Europe Foundation preparing the ground”.

The Foundation is an independent forum, driving fresh policy thinking and unlocking opportunities by acting as a partnership incubator for catalytic initiatives, joint projects and innovative processes in priority sectors of the Africa-Europe partnership.

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, said “The new EU-Africa partnership can play a leading role in putting people-to-people cooperation at the heart of the multilateral world”. He stated that he shared the ambition of the Africa Europe Foundation and that “the Foundation is well-positioned to inspire and bring together diverse stakeholders, and to transform dialogue into action”, adding that “together we have the tools, the energy and the creativity to build a common future”.

The Africa Europe Foundation received the firm support of leading personalities from across the neighbouring continents including those present at the launch and High-Level Group meeting on 2^nd December 2020: Mo Ibrahim Founder and Chairman of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation; Etienne Davignon President of Friends of Europe, Belgium Minister of State and former Vice- President of the European Commission; Bono Co-Founder of the ONE Campaign; Clare Akamanzi Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Development Board; Ayodeji Adewunmi Co-Founder & Director, Emprego Holdings; Zeinab Badawi Chair of the Royal Africa Society, BBC presenter and member of the advisory board of Afrobarometer; Ousmane Badiane Co-Chair of the AEF Strategy Group on Agriculture, Executive Chairperson of AKADEMIYA 2063; Fatih Birol Executive Director of the International Energy Agency; Gunilla Carlsson Vice-Chair of the Strategy Committee at Global Fund; Joaquim Alberto Chissano Former president of the Republic of Mozambique and former president of the African Union; Aliko Dangote Founder of Dangote Industries Ltd. and Dangote Group Ltd.; Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe Former prime minister of Ethiopia and former president of the African Union; Tanja Gonner Chief Executive Officer of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ); Arancha González Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation of Spain; Bernard Gustin Co-Chair of the AEF Strategy Group on Transport and Connectivity and former CEO, Brussels Airlines; Connie Hedegaard Co-Chair of the AEF Strategy Group on Energy, former EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Chair of KR Foundation; Paula Ingabire Co-Chair of the AEF Strategy Group on Digital and Minister of ICT & Innovation of Rwanda; Abdoulie Janneh former UN Under-Secretary- General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Honorary President of the Africa Europe Foundation, Former President of the Republic of Liberia and Nobel Laureate; Donald Kaberuka High Representative for the Peace Fund of the Africa Union Commission and former President of the African Development Bank; Ramtane Lamamra African Union Commission High Representative for Silencing Guns in Africa and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria; Pascal Lamy Honorary President of Notre Europe- Jacques Delors Institute and former Director-General of the World Trade Organisation; Carlos Moedas Member of the Board of Trustees at the Gulbenkian Foundation and former EU Commissioner for Research and Innovation; Festus Mogae Former President of Botswana; Amina Mohammed Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group; Louise Mushikiwabo Secretary General of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda; Federica Mogherini Rector of the College of Europe and former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Chair of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization and former Minister of Finance of Nigeria; Mary Robinson Honorary President of the Africa Europe Foundation, first woman President of Ireland and Chair of the Elders; Vera Songwe Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa; Ingrid Wünning Tschol Co-Chair of the AEF Strategy Group on Agriculture and Senior Vice-President Strategic Development, Robert Bosch Stiftung; Kandeh Yumkella Co-Chair of the AEF Strategy Group on Energy and former Chief Executive Officer of Sustainable Energy for All

The “High-Level Group of Personalities on Africa-Europe relations” will assume the role of steering group for the Africa Europe Foundation including orientating the work of five new Strategy Groups launched this week on Health, Digital, Agriculture, Energy, Transport and Connectivity, and composed of proven leaders from civil society, the youth sector, business and policymaking. The five Strategy Groups have been put together also with research partners including IPEMED (Mediterranean World Economic Foresight Institute) and the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS), the Next Einstein Forum, FERDI (Fondation pour les Études et Recherches sur le Développement International).

Paul Walton, Director for Africa at Friends of Europe, one of the co-founders of the Africa Europe Foundation, said “The launch of the Foundation is an open call to work together with diverse organisations to accelerate impact in the fight against climate change and inequality within a strengthened Africa-Europe partnership”, adding that “In addition to the tragic loss of life, the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken all our societies’ established economic and social models. We need to seize the opportunity to work differently – for our common future”.

At the launch meeting, the High-Level Group also endorsed the first flagship report of the Africa Europe Foundation for the Heads of State and Government of the Africa-EU partnership. The HLG Report will to be officially launched on 9^thDecember and is on the theme of how an innovative “Africa Europe Climate Alliance” based on mutual learning and joint interest should be the foundation for relaunching the Africa-EU partnership in 2021.