Over the past 3 days, liberal leaders, think-tanks and foundations met with their African counterparts in Rabat for the “RENEWPAC” summit.
The meeting gathered 300 participants from 47 countries. Participants reaffirmed that Europe should treat Africa like a partner, not a problem – because Africa doesn't need aid, it needs trade.
Over the weekend, many topics were discussed, including security, democracy, migration, energy, AI, supply chain stability, demography, health and gender equality.
Valérie Hayer MEP, President of Renew Europe, said:
“The partnership between Europe and Africa will be pivotal for the decades to come. Our destinies are interlinked. We have shared interests and shared values. Renew is committed to make EU-Africa relations a pilar of its political project.”
Sidi Tiémoko Touré, Côte d'Ivoire Minister of Animal and Fisheries Resources and African co-chair of the Summit also weighed in:
“Our relations must not be defined only by our past but by the future we want to build together. This kind of summit helps build trust, mutual respect and understanding. All too often Africa is talked about through the prism of its challenges. We must talk about Africa in terms of opportunities. ”
Jan-Christoph Oetjen MEP (FDP, DE), the European co-chair of the Summit, continued:
“If one listens to the European Left, Africa is a place we must simply help and apologise to. If one listens to the Right, Africa is a problem to be managed and a source of migration on our doorstep. We, European liberals, believe that Africa is an opportunity and a future to be built among equal partners.” He concluded, “the future cannot be built on outdated narratives. The era of paternalism, dependency and lamentation must be behind us.”