http://businessdayonline.com/2014/04/the-fourth-europe-africa-summit/#.U0IRwvm-26M
The Fourth Europe-Africa Summit
April 7, 2014 | Filed under:
Columnists<
http://businessdayonline.com/category/analysis/columnist/>
| Author: OBADIAH MAILAFIA <
http://businessdayonline.com/author/testuser/>
The much-awaited Fourth Europe-Africa Summit took place in Brussels on the
3rd and 4th of April last week. Bringing together 60 Heads of State and
Government (40 from Africa and 20 from Europe) was no mean feat in itself.
Controversy had dogged the Summit at every step. I was involved in the
preparatory work leading up to the meeting and I know that doubt was a
shadowy incubus that would not go away. As late as a fortnight ago a
European colleague had expressed worries that the thing might not happen
after all.
Some African leaders were peeved by what they regarded as a condescending
attitude on the part of the Europeans. Morocco, which is not a member of
the African Union, had been invited. This would obviously be at the expense
of Western Sahara, which is recognised by the AU and vehemently opposed by
the Government in Rabat. There had been initial controversies of whether
Egypt could participate, as it has been suspended from the AU following the
coup d'état by Field Marshal Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi that overthrew the
Islamist-led administration of Mohammed Morsi. In the end, Egypt did make a
low-key showing at the conference.
President Isaias Afowerki of Eritrea was banned due to gross human rights
violations. The EU had also initially opposed the participation of Robert
Mugabe of Zimbabwe, only to capitulate within the last couple of weeks.
Mugabe cancelled his planned visit after his wife's visa application was
turned down. President Uhuru Kenyatta must have agonised over the ICC in
The Hague which is just an hour and a half from Brussels. Although he did
attend, he made it a point to go straight to their airport immediately
after the meeting ended. President Jacob Zuma of South Africa did not
attend due to "other commitments". Public scrutiny over alleged corruption
relating to the building of his $30 mansion at Nkandla may have been the
deciding factor.
The recently concluded Summit had as its theme, "Investing in People,
Prosperity and Peace". Given all the odds arrayed against it, the meeting
was a success. Issues that would have been otherwise divisive were handled
with civility. The EU had preferred not to discuss the Economic Partnership
Agreements (EPAs), but had come to realise the absurdity of not doing so.
The issue of gay rights, championed by European leaders such as the openly
gay Belgian premier Elio Di Rupo, was also handled with decorum.
The final communiqué reaffirmed the objectives set out in the Joint
Africa-EU Strategy adopted at the Lisbon Summit of 2007 and the 2010
Tripoli Declaration following the Third Summit in Libya. It noted the
progress that has been made in good governance, democracy and human rights
in Africa and the strides in macroeconomic growth. However, they regretted
the fact that such growth has not been inclusive and has not trickled down
to the poorest groups in society.
The Summit placed a strong accent on the idiom of interdependence and
solidarity between the nations of Africa and Europe, with ties rooted in
history, trade and geographical contiguity: "our economies remain closely
linked, and we will work to ensure that growth of the one will help the
other. We are also convinced that trade and investment and closer economic
integration each of our continents will accelerate growth."
Under the broad theme of "Security", Summit leaders agreed to work together
to build a zone of mutual security. Preventing violent conflicts and
tackling the conditions that generate instability are considered essential
to building the foundations for a just and lasting peace in Africa. The
leaders recognised terrorism as a menace that must be tackled head-on.
President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria spoke strongly on the problem of
terrorism in Africa. He called on African and European leaders to expose
the sponsors of terrorism and to bring to them to justice. The fragile
situation in Mali, Central African Republic, Somalia, the Great Lakes and
DRC came for special mention. The EU pledged to do their part to
strengthen the African security architecture and to provide financial and
logistical support to peacekeeping forces in Africa.
Under the broad theme of "Prosperity", Summit leaders committed themselves
to working together to boost trade and growth as the foundations for
sustainable prosperity. Tackling youth unemployment was considered an
urgent imperative. Summit leaders welcomed progress being made with regard
to EPA negotiations and committed themselves to exploring ways and means to
ensure that a just and equitable settlement is reached between Europe and
Africa. The Summit urged African nations to fast track the Continental Free
Trade Area (CTFA) that would offer an opportunity to create a single market
in Africa. They also expressed their determination to advance the Climate
Change Agenda by cooperating in adopting a joint framework at the Paris
2015 conference to ensure a legally binding agreement on greenhouse gas
emissions while pushing forward the internationally agreed commitment to
mobilising an annual US$100 billion for climate change financing.
Under the theme of "People", the Summit underlined the importance of a
people-centred approach to development. It committed the leaders of the EU
and Africa to work together for an international development architecture
that advances the cause of anti-poverty and accelerated human development
within the framework of a post-2015 development agenda. People should be
put at the heart of all governance efforts and human rights should be
considered sacred, including commitment to fighting all forms of
discrimination, racism and xenophobia on both sides of the continent.
A roadmap was drawn up for the implementation of partnership over the years
2014-2017, centred on (i) peace and security; (ii) democracy, good
governance and human rights; (iii) human development; (iv) sustainable and
include development and growth and continental integration; and (iv) global
and emerging issues.
The EU announced a financial package of more than EURO 28 billion of financing
to Africa over the years 2014-2020, in addition to resources from bilateral
cooperation by member states. The Fifth Summit is scheduled to take place
in Africa in 2017.
*OBADIAH MAILAFIA*
Received on Sun Apr 06 2014 - 22:51:37 EDT