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(Ecofin Agency) – On the sidelines of the EU-AU summit scheduled for next February 17-18 in Brussels, several African and French leaders are expected to hold meetings in Paris ahead of the actual summit.
One of the preliminary meetings concerns “investing together, for a new alliance between Africa and Europe.” It will be organized in partnership with the French Development Agency and be attended by Presidents Emmanuel Macron (who currently holds the EU presidency) and Macky Sall, the current AU Chairman. With Akinwumi Adesina, President of the AfDB, Makhtar Diop, CEO of the International Finance Corporation, and Serge Ekue, President of BOAD, among others, the leaders will discuss infrastructure investments and SMEs, and how to restructure relations between Europe and Africa. It is not specified whether they will discuss the issue of the European Global Gateway project in Africa.
Another meeting that does not appear on the agenda of the French presidency but which is announced by Bloomberg is the dinner that the French president should host for some African heads of state, including those of the Sahel zone. This may be an opportunity to give more details on the conditions for the withdrawal of French forces. The presidents of Chad, Mauritania, and Niger are expected to attend the dinner but the presence of Malian authorities is not certain, nor that of the leaders of Burkina Faso.
As a reminder, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union Commission, during her recent tour of Africa, announced a €150 billion program for the coming years without any further details. Many of Africa’s leaders have reservations about the collaboration. Indeed, two promises made by President Macron are still pending, namely a real program on African debt and the redistribution of special drawing rights worth $100 billion to developing countries.
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