Today, on 10 October 2018, the European Commission welcomes a new high-level group of personalities from Africa and Europe convened by Friends of Europe, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and the ONE campaign to reflect on the future of EU-Africa relations. The meeting of the high-level group brings together current and former heads of international organisations and foundations, former presidents and prime ministers of African countries along with renowned experts. Bound by their commitment to ensure the success of Europe-Africa relations, participants exchange views on this occasion about the challenge of youth unemployment in Africa. This new initiative will further enrich the efforts to promote and seize opportunities across both continents. The European Commission is one of the key drivers of EU-Africa relations and has recently launched a new Africa-Europe Alliance aimed at boosting investment and creating jobs. The inaugural meeting is hosted by Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development: “This initiative comes at an important time because we need to take a different look at our partnership. It should not be about managing short-term risks or acting under a donor-recipient relation. It should be about exploring the huge opportunities that can produce benefits for African and European societies alike. We need to stop seeing Africa in the first place as a recipient of development support, and see it for what it is: a partner with whom we share much more than with others, with whom we have many intersected interests, a continent that has embarked on a structural transformation and where opportunities for investments and jobs are indisputable”.

Source: africa-eu-partnership.org