Africa: Flagship projects for the Continent

By African Bulletin on December 1, 2010

The African Union (AU) is expected to announce the launch of flagship projects in the infrastructure sector, one for each of the five regions of Africa. Thus, the EU and the AU leaders are meeting twice a year to discuss issues related to human rights and hope to launch a common platform in order to examine all governance issues. Regarding the theme of climate change, the European Commission is expecting that commitments to climate funding for Africa to be taken in anticipation of the conference on the subject which opens at the same time in Cancun, Mexico.

But the “Hot” topic deals with a partnership on migration, mobility and employment in order to bring order and curb illegal immigration. It concerns both the Africans, the crossing points for migrants who dream to join the European Eldorado. Hence, an African Institute of remittances should be created and be responsible for strengthening the capacity of governments, banks, shippers and recipients of international remittances. The private sector and other actors, on the African continent, should make of such transfers a real tool of development for diffusing socio-economic tensions and reduce the poverty. The African Diaspora was appointed by the AU as the sixth region of Africa and its active participation in the Africa-EU Partnership is considered paramount. The financial flows of its members to their home country exceeds in some cases, the external financial flows such as official development assistance or foreign direct investment (FDI).   For this whole dynamic to be true, it is needed to mobilise immigrants’ skills, help them make investment projects to initiate businesses in their countries of origin; and that what officials in Brussels are aiming to. Regarding energy, the first high level meeting was held in Vienna on the 14th and 15th of last September during which representatives from Africa and Europe pledged to launch a broad program of cooperation in the field of renewable energy to help the continent achieve its goals by 2020, in an equal partnership, “but so much remains to be done”, the President of the African Commission, Jean Ping, has stressed. While the European Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, shared the general position that time has come to consolidate the EU/AU partnership, providing opportunities for a better future of the 1.5 billion people of the 80 countries.