(VOVWORLD) - The African Union-European Union Summit early this week in Luanda, Angola, was the latest move by the two continents to reshape their relations in a new era around the three pillars of economy, trade, and security. The summit took place in the context of increasing global geopolitical fragmentation and growing demands for Africa to play a bigger role.
The Summit gathered nearly all the heads of state of the 27 EU member countries, the 55 AU countries, and leaders of major international organizations, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
A more equal strategic partnership
The central theme of the meeting was to deepen cooperation in industrial development, energy transition, technology, and the effective exploitation of strategic mineral resources, which are seen as foundational factors for long-term development.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said both sides’ prosperity is more interconnected than ever. Europe has experience, technology, and resources for implementation, while Africa possesses the key resources for future growth.
Von de Leyen said Europe has strong advantages to become Africa’s most important comprehensive partner, including geographical proximity, being Africa’s largest trading partner and being its largest investor, with total investment of 240 billion euros in 2023.
However, AU spokesperson Nuur Mohamud Sheekh said Africa is not seeking new declarations, but concrete commitments that will be implemented. This is a perceived weakness of the EU, which has been slower than economic competitors like China, the US, Turkey, and the Gulf countries to invest in Africa’s mineral and industrial sectors. Although the EU is Africa’s largest export market, many African countries still have a bilateral trade imbalance.
“We are calling for a more balanced trade partnerships. I'm pleading for European investments in the transformation process of our minerals on the continent,” AU Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said. “I'm calling for the lifting of any tariff or non-tariff barrier hampering the access of African products to the European market. I'm finally calling for a stronger and more viable multilateralism based on equality, respect for all nations.”
Observers say Europe’s competitiveness in Africa will be measured by projects that create jobs and build infrastructure to create tangible benefits. The Lobito Corridor railway linking the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to the Atlantic Ocean with EU-US financing is seen as a crucial test of this commitment. Africa also expects the EU to support the expansion of intra-African trade, which currently accounts for only 15% of total continental trade.
Angolan President João Lourenço, the current rotating AU Chairperson, warned that many African countries face a risk of prolonged debt traps that hinder development and reduce access to strategic investment. Therefore, the AU needs the EU’s support in building a new financial framework with global lending institutions.
A greater security role for Africa
Besides cooperation in economics, trade, and strategic minerals, notable highlights of the AU-EU Summit were discussions of security and peace and defining Africa’s increasingly significant role in global affairs. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said Africa’s security is inseparable from regional and global security.
Recent crises such as the conflict in Gaza, maritime tensions in the Red Sea, and counterterrorism operations in the Sahel show how African flashpoints can significantly impact global stability. Therefore, Africa must be granted a more proactive role in global security governance, rather than passively receiving external solutions.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the AU-EU cooperation axis should become a pillar of the international community in politics, economics, development, and security.
He stressed the need to give developing countries a stronger voice in global financial mechanisms, and noted that the G20 Common Framework, which was designed to restructure debts during the COVID-19 crisis, has been progressing slowly.
He said it will take years for countries like Ghana and Zambia to escape deadlock, underscoring the urgency of reform.
Mr. Guterres said he supports Africa having an equal voice at all levels. “With most UN peacekeeping missions taking place in Africa, and with many of our proposals on economic, financial, and institutional reforms aligned with African interests, it is essential to give Africa its rightful voice in all institutions and in the UN Security Council. The absence of a permanent African representative in the Council must be corrected as soon as possible.”
Reflecting a determination to establish a new political-security voice for Africa, the AU and EU issued a Luanda Summit Joint Declaration mentioning major global conflicts and reaffirming a commitment to defend multilateralism and advance global peace efforts.