Areas of action

By assessing the present, our Strategy Groups aim to shape the future.

Strategic programming pillars cutting across silos

A political and international focus on climate and health is a unique chance for Africa and Europe to build a partnership aimed at equitable economic development. Given the centrality of both of these areas to the future of both continents, a successful partnership will help address growing issues such as job creation and youth unemployment, as well as supporting a just Fourth Industrial Revolution.

  • This programming pillar covers the work on Health, Pandemic Preparedness and Digital Transformation.

  • This programming pillar covers the work on Climate Change, Energy, Agri-food Systems, Oceans Governance and Adaptation.

  • This programming pillar covers the work on Perceptions, Partnerships and Citizen Engagement.

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Our work

Discover the Foundation’s latest initiatives, ideas and proposals

    • Agri-Food
    • Energy and Climate

    Strengthening Agri-food Systems as a Strategic Pillar of the Africa-Europe Partnership

    The Africa-Europe Foundation — June 25, 2025

    As African and European Ministers of Agriculture gather for the 6th AU-EU Agriculture Ministerial Conference in Rome, this Policy and Action Brief offers timely and strategic input to support a renewed bi-continental dialogue on agri-food systems. Rooted in the shared ambition for a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future, the Brief responds to the growing recognition that agri-food systems sit at the nexus of climate, trade, health, rural employment, and regional stability and security.

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    • Energy and Climate

    AEF at the UNFCCC 62nd Subsidiary Bodies (SBs)

    The Africa-Europe Foundation — June 20, 2025

    With this second informal Africa-Europe climate convening, the Africa-Europe Foundation (AEF) aims to create a space for European and African climate policymakers, technocrats and associated actors to identify ways to establish common ground and build stronger bridges between Europe and Africa on the climate front.

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    • Sustainable Finance

    AEF at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4)

    The Africa-Europe Foundation — June 13, 2025

    The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) is a once-in-a-decade global summit bringing together world leaders, international organizations, financial institutions, civil society, and the private sector.

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    • Talking Africa-Europe -A Leadership Series
    • Sustainable Finance

    Shifting Tides: Global Development Amid Geopolitical Upheaval

    Dr Vera Songwe and Camilla Toulmin — June 13, 2025

    The fall in development assistance has been happening for a long time. Essentially, since 2012 aid has been falling, but it has been gradual, so people didn’t notice. Dr Vera Songwe is Chair and Founder, Liquidity and Sustainability Facility, has championed the need to address both on solvency and liquidity issues in Emerging Market economies. She emphasises the importance of deploying a range of financial instruments and shares insights on how to navigate and evolving global development system amid current geo-political stresses.

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    • Ocean Governance & Blue Economy

    UNOC3: Africa-Mediterranean-Europe Cooperation (AMEC) Meeting and Launch of Foresight Paper on the Future of the Africa-Europe Ocean Partnership

    The Africa-Europe Foundation — June 11, 2025

    Africa-Europe Foundation co-hosted with partners an Africa-Mediterranean-Europe High-Level policymakers meeting (AMEC), built upon the momentum established at the second ‘Blue Africa Summit’ held in Tangier, and anchored by the ‘Roadmap Towards 2030: Co-driving the Africa-Europe Ocean Partnership’, a product of the Africa-Europe Strategy Group on Ocean Governance. The meeting presented the ‘Pact for a Sustainable Blue Africa’, marking a major milestone to strengthen the tripartite cooperation between Africa, the Mediterranean and Europe. It reaffirmed the essential role of North to South and South-South cooperation, strategic blue investments, and the need to consolidate alliances to advance a healthy, productive and equitable ocean.

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Debates

Join for an open dialogue about the future of Africa-Europe relations

Opinions

Our insights and reflections on the key issues at stake in the Africa-Europe partnership

    • Sustainable Finance

    An Africa-Europe Grand Bargain on the Future of Finance

    The AEF Women Leaders Network — April 25, 2025

    Multilateralism now faces a dual crisis - one of trust and one of financing. If the system cannot meet people’s needs, trust in its viability will erode. We need a fundamental shift - a ‘Grand Bargain’ to transform the global financial landscape to deliver shared prosperity.

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    • Energy and Climate

    Bridging Africa and Europe on Climate Adaptation: Taking Stock of the UNFCCC inter-session and on the road to COP29

    Raphaël Danglade and Simone Phore — July 4, 2024

    A grueling two weeks of intense climate negotiations took place at the 60th sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies (SBs) of the UNFCCC, referred to as the ‘Bonn Climate Change Conference’, in June 2024. This meeting marked a crucial step for the global climate negotiations towards the implementation of the Paris Agreement and a litmus test of what’s to come in preparation for COP29.

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    • Ocean Governance & Blue Economy

    Our shared ocean must sit at the heart of the Africa-Europe Partnership

    Pascal Lamy & Nancy Karigithu — June 8, 2024

    The link between geopolitics and the low-carbon transition will be crucial in the upcoming EU mandate. Investing in strategic partnerships, including with Africa, is vital to secure critical raw materials and green energy to achieve the EU’s climate neutrality objectives, while supporting Africa’s socio-economic transformation and industrialisation.

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    • Ocean Governance & Blue Economy

    Op-Ed: Oceans need a reinforced Africa-Europe Partnership

    Pascal Lamy & Nancy Karigithu — December 9, 2023

    Strengthening ocean governance and the blue economy as a strategic domain for Africa-Europe cooperation would empower local communities on both continents while helping to accelerate climate mitigation and adaptation efforts and regenerate marine environments at scale. The majority of European Union and African Union Member States have coastlines, and a joint Africa Europe roadmap for an equitable blue partnership is both practical and essential to address the triple crises of climate, biodiversity and pollution.

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    • Agri-Food

    Bridging African and European trade through sustainable agri-food commodities

    Abraham Baffoe — June 30, 2023

    The European Union is moving ahead with its green transition, putting in place new legislation to back-up the new Green Deal, the Farm2Fork Strategy and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). As a strong economic block and world leader on climate action, Europe should support its global partners to do the same.

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Publications from our network

Discover the most interesting reports from our network

  • Name
    Source
  • 2024 Ibrahim Forum Report - Financing Africa: where is the money?
    Mo Ibrahim Foundation
    Description

    The Mo Ibrahim Foundation's latest report, Financing Africa: where is the money? provides a comprehensive analysis of both the financial needs deemed necessary for Africa to meet its development and climate goals and the resources that are currently available.

    Topics
    • Sustainable Finance
  • Priorities for an Equitable Reform of the Global Financial System
    African Climate Foundation
    Description

    Africa’s position on the reforms of the global financial architecture is predominantly constrained by a lack of affordable, reliable, and sufficient finance, juxtaposed with a debt crisis in certain nations, and compounded by extreme vulnerability to climate change. Rather than allocating increased funds to adaptation efforts, the majority of funds are directed towards mitigation, which is most profitable for financiers and lenders. Finance for mitigation is more than ten times the $56b (8.4%) available for adaptation in 2020. Addressing Africa’s substantial financing requirements for resilient growth demands a complete re-evaluation of development finance strategies, coupled with innovative enhancements in financial instruments and mechanisms. This paper draws on a series of policy and reform proposals from African leaders. It builds on initiatives emerging from the Global South and puts forward a set of recommendations, reflecting Africa’s priorities in advancing equitable reform of the international financial architecture.

    Topics
    • Sustainable Finance
  • Global Africa: Africa in the world and the world in Africa
    Mo Ibrahim Foundation
    Description

    The report also assesses Africa’s representativeness in the current multilateral architecture, which is still beyond inadequate –a central point in the 2023 Ibrahim Governance Weekend (IGW) high-level discussions, which took place in Nairobi(28-30 April). This was our first ever in-person event since COVID-19 hit the continent, and it was truly a unique convening of the greatest African minds to chart together the path to our continent’s bright future.

    Topics
    • Ibrahim Governance Weekend
  • 2023 IIAG series report: The Power of Data for Governance
    Mo Ibrahim Foundation
    Description

    The report is based on insights drawn from the 2022 IIAG dataset and highlights a positive correlation between access to high-quality statistics and effective governance across African countries from 2012 to 2021. The report emphasises the importance of data for governance, identifies key data gaps that affect the measurement of governance and development in Africa, and proposes solutions to bridge these gaps, including investment in data. It also features expert contributions and opinions from IIAG data sources and key partners.

    Topics
    • #AUEUTracker
  • Scaling-Up Vaccine Manufacturing in Africa
    ONE Campaign
    Description

    The African Union and Africa CDC proposed an ambitious target to manufacture 60% of Africa’s immunization needs on the continent by 2040. This analysis tracks progress toward this goal and offers policy considerations for next steps and focuses on three areas where efforts on regional manufacturing are advancing — Market design and demand intelligence; Access to Financing; and Talent development and transfer of technology and intellectual property — and offers considerations for next steps.

    Topics
    • Health