New actors in Africa: How is their entry affecting the continent’s relations with the EU?

The document details a high-level policy dialogue in Johannesburg focused on the complementary roles of traditional and emerging powers in Africa's development. It highlights the different priorities of the EU (governance and human rights) versus China, India, and Brazil (infrastructure and equipment), while emphasizing that Africa requires a coordinated engagement policy to avoid a 'new scramble for Africa'. The report explores triangular cooperation, sustainable natural resource management through initiatives like the ICGLR, and the challenges of regional integration and infrastructure funding, noting an annual infrastructure shortfall of US$43 billion.

• Traditional and emerging powers maintain distinct priorities in Africa: the EU focuses on 'democracy and good governance, human rights and freedoms', whereas China, India, and Brazil (CIB) prioritize 'equipment and infrastructure'.
• Africa faces a significant infrastructure funding gap, requiring US$93 billion annually with a current shortfall of US$43 billion, necessitating a broad pool of actors including BRICS, the Gulf States, South Korea, and Turkey.
• There is a concern that without a 'coordinated and coherent African engagement policy' regarding emerging players and groupings like the BRICS and G20, the current interest from external actors could result in a 'new scramble for Africa'.
• Triangular cooperation, involving a donor, a pivotal country, and a beneficiary, is seen as a way to overcome the North-South divide, though it often suffers from high transaction costs and a lack of early beneficiary involvement.
• The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) serves as a model for triangular cooperation in natural resource management, utilizing OECD due diligence guidelines and a regional mineral tracking and certification scheme to combat the illegal exploitation of resources.
• Regional integration is considered essential for economic development and peace, but progress is hindered by slow implementation of agreements and diverging national interests among African countries.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2011). New actors in Africa: How is their entry affecting the continent’s relations with the EU? https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/New-actors-in-Africa-How-is-their-entry-affecting-the-continents-relations-with-the-EU.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. New actors in Africa: How is their entry affecting the continent’s relations with the EU? 2011. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/New-actors-in-Africa-How-is-their-entry-affecting-the-continents-relations-with-the-EU.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=New actors in Africa: How is their entry affecting the continent’s relations with the EU? |date=12 October 2011 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/New-actors-in-Africa-How-is-their-entry-affecting-the-continents-relations-with-the-EU.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2011new, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{New actors in Africa: How is their entry affecting the continent’s relations with the EU?}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2011}, month = oct, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/New-actors-in-Africa-How-is-their-entry-affecting-the-continents-relations-with-the-EU.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }