Africa
By Anthony Isibor.
PRESIDENT of Senegal, Macky Sall has called for a renewed and redefined, consensual, and mutually beneficial partnership with Europe that will be based on jointly shared values and priorities.
Sall, who is also the current chairperson of the African Union States, said that the new partnership should be consensual, and without civilizational restrictions, exclusion or exclusivity.
Speaking at the Sixth European Union-African Union Summit in Brussels from 17th to 18th of February 2022, Sall noted that this fast-evolving Africa wishes to have a redefined, renewed, and re-boosted partnership with Europe.
“More than a software update managing the Euro-African network, we propose the joint installation of a new software adapted to the ongoing changes, capable of supporting the innovative dynamics that will leave a lasting mark on our relations,” he said.
To this effect, the AU Chair presented an eight-point proposal as a contribution to the definition of Africa’s new partnership.
- “Let us work together towards the reinforcement of our collaboration with regard to peace, security and the fight against terrorism, through the European Peace Facility, EPF.”
This, he said, was necessitated by experience in East, Southern, and Central Africa. “The EPF could also support efforts in countries of the Sahel and members of the Accra Initiative against terrorist groups.
- “We seek the support of Europe to accelerate the SDR re-allocation process.
“We welcome the historical allocation of 650 billion dollars in the form of SDR, from which Africa has received its quota of 33 billion dollars, to partly withstand the effects of the crisis. This was the first objective of the Paris Summit last May, on financing African economies.
“Due to the profound impact of the crisis on our structurally weak economies, we call for the reallocation of an SDR of 100 billion dollars from consenting rich countries in favour of African countries, in accordance with modalities to be fixed.”
This second point, he said, will bring Africa closer to the objective of 252 billion dollars which it needs by 2025, according to the IMF, in order to mitigate the impact of COVID and initiate its economic recovery.
- “We plead for easing of the OECD rules in order to better facilitate access of our countries to export credit, with longer maturity conditions and more manageable interest rates to reinforce investment and commercial trade between our two continents; Africa is 30 million km2, one billion three hundred million inhabitants; and a financial requirement of 130 to 170 billion dollars per year, according to the ABD estimates, for infrastructure alone.
“We are ready to work with our European partners towards the implementation of the Global Gateway initiative within the framework of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa, PIDA, which is already underway.
While he called for collaboration in the European broadband connectivity project through low orbit satellites as the outcome of the Africa partnership, it will also play out in the fertile digital space, where the talent of its creative and entrepreneurial youth is expressed.
- “We wish to work together with Europe towards the revision of investment risk evaluation criteria in Africa.
“For Africa, the risk perception remains considerably higher than the real risk, which results in high insurances costs, penalizes investment and reduces competitivity of our economies.
“Recent studies show that at least 20% of the ranking criteria of our countries is based on subjective factors, while others are cultural or linguistic in nature, having nothing to do with risk indicators or stability of an economy,” he said.
- “We call on the simplification of formalities and procedures related to project funding conditions, respecting the rules of good governance and transparency.
This, according to him, is because very often, these formalities and procedures delay the drafting and execution of projects, which weakens public action and arouses expectations that are sometimes not fulfilled.
- “Let us act together for better access to vaccines and the reinforcement of African pharmaceutical capacities.
“In the face of the COVID 19 pandemic, Europe demonstrated its solidarity with Africa through substantial donations of vaccines within the framework of COVAX, as well as on bilateral levels. I would like to express our thanks and gratitude to our European partners.
“African is also engaged in the production of anti-COVID vaccines, especially with South Africa, Algeria, Egypt and Morocco. Others like Senegal, Rwanda and Ghana are getting ready as well.
“We invite Europe to support this new momentum for the reinforcement of our pharmaceutical and biotechnological capacities, beyond the fight against COVID.”
- “Let us join efforts for environmental protection and climate justice. Africa supports the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. A number of our countries are developing strategies in this respect with an energy mix as well as protection and biodiversity initiatives within the framework of the Great Green Wall project.
“For a continent lagging behind on the development process and whose 600 million inhabitants still live in darkness, universal access to electricity and industrialization of our countries is a priority.
- “Africa calls for the return of its artifacts.
“The restitution of African works remains a matter of high priority for us, because they are part of our civilizational identity.
“If we want to build a new Europe-Africa relational ethic, based on respect and recognition of historical facts, we must pursue the work already started through the recommendations of the Savoy-Sarr report.”
Sall added that Africa cannot remain satisfied with the promise of a Continent of the future, as a current fashionable expression goes.
“Africa which has sufficiently bore the burden of history expects to finally rid itself of this yoke, to be accepted and respected as a stakeholder of the new dynamics, which guide global governance and forge the common destiny of humanity.
This is the spirit which drives us as we come to this Summit, confident that together with long-standing partners, we can work together to achieve our common goals,” he added.
– Feb. 18, 2022 @ 13:30 GMT |
A.I
Tags: President Macky Sall Savoy-Sarr Union-African
