The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, opened the VII Meeting of the Africa Round Table today, and discussed the creation of a new strategy for Africa that “will launch a new stage in relations between Spain and Africa based on the awareness that we share the same geopolitical space: we face challenges that we must respond to and overcome together”.
The minister stated that “we will do this through dialogue with our African partners and by tapping into the best resources we have: Spanish civil society of the associations and entities that engage with Africa”.
Albares also highlighted the critical role played by the African Union and sub-regional structures in consolidating democracy and the rule of law in the region.
The minister also mentioned efforts made during the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU to strengthen relations between the European Union and African nations, including the Samoa Agreement, which succeeds the Cotonou Agreement and will guide cooperation between the European Union and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries for the next twenty years, as well as the EU-Angola Sustainable Investment Agreement and the Economic Partnership Agreement with Kenya.
This VII Meeting of the Africa Round Table also discussed the implementation of the pilot plan to coordinate actors and instruments to promote Spanish business presence and investment in Senegal, presented the follow-up report on the Round Table's proposals on public policies for cultural and academic cooperation, and addressed the progress of the thematic consultation underway to draft proposals on human mobility, migration and refuge.
The Africa Round Table is a platform for information exchange and coordination between the Government, through the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, and Spanish civil society actors with an interest in relations with Africa. Representatives from NGOs, the business sector, academia, associations of the African diaspora and Afro-Spanish people participate in the Round Table.
As representatives of civil society, OXFAM-INTERMON, África Activa, CEOE International, the Exporters and Investors Club, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, the Complutense African School, Fundación Alternativas, and LemAfriq participated in the Africa Round Table.