Refocusing the Africa-EU strategy

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies argues that the European Union's proposed priority areas for the Africa-EU strategy do not sufficiently reflect African priorities, specifically those outlined in the Abidjan Declaration and Agenda 2063. The authors urge African negotiators to push for a more holistic, people-centred approach that prioritises poverty eradication, healthcare systems, transport infrastructure, and internet access, while using the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst for debt relief and increased health support.

• The European Union's March communication proposing five priority areas for the Africa-EU strategy—green transition and energy access, digital transformation, sustainable growth and jobs, peace and governance, and migration and mobility—fails to adequately cover critical issues such as poverty, health, transport infrastructure, and internet access, and only sparsely covers priorities from the AU's Agenda 2063.
• Poverty eradication is a primary concern for Africa, with over 70% of the world's poorest people living on the continent, yet the EU communication mentions poverty only once in its main text, relegating it largely to footnotes.
• There is a significant gap in healthcare funding and outcomes; while Africa carries 23% of the global disease burden, it receives only 1% of total global health expenditure, and African states spend five times their healthcare budget to service debts.
• Despite the EU's focus on digital transformation, the briefing notes that internet access is not adequately addressed, and the World Bank estimates that Africa requires US$100 billion in investment to achieve affordable, high-quality internet access by 2030.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered the first recession in over 25 years in sub-Saharan Africa, with total foreign debt estimated at US$417 billion, making debt relief a critical 'litmus test' for the Africa-EU partnership.

APA

Abebe, T. T., & Maalim, H. (n.d.). Refocusing the Africa-EU strategy. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/refocusing-the-africa-eu-strategy

Chicago

Abebe, Tsion Tadesse, and Hafsa Maalim. Refocusing the Africa-EU strategy. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/refocusing-the-africa-eu-strategy.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Abebe |first1=Tsion Tadesse |last2=Maalim |first2=Hafsa |title=Refocusing the Africa-EU strategy |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/refocusing-the-africa-eu-strategy |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{abebendrefocusing, author = {Abebe, Tsion Tadesse and Maalim, Hafsa}, title = {{Refocusing the Africa-EU strategy}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/refocusing-the-africa-eu-strategy}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }