EU ALLOCATES € 415 MILLION FOR AFRICA’s INTEGRATION

The European Union (EU) has allocated 415 million euro to support Africa’s integration programmes. The allocation is meant to fund the first phase of a new programme. It is the first ever EU programme in development and cooperation that covers Africa as a whole to address trans-national and global challenges, such as migration and mobility, climate change and security.

The support is coming under the EU-Africa Partnership, which the two continents established in 2007 to put their relations on a new footing and to establish a strategic partnership, responding to mutual interests and based upon a strong political relationship and close cooperation in key areas.

The programme, which is financed from the EU budget will be a key instrument for the European Commission to implement, in close cooperation with African partners, the joint political priorities of the roadmap which was adopted by African and EU Heads of State and Government during the 4th EU-Africa summit in April this year.

The Pan-African Programme, which was announced by President Manuel Barroso at the 4th Africa-EU summit in Brussels in April 2014, will amount to 845 million euro from 2014 to 2020.

It will contribute, among others, to increased mobility on the African continent, better trade relations across regions and also better equip both continents.

The first phase that was launched yesterday, the statement explained will include projects ranging from sustainable agriculture, environment, and higher education to governance, infrastructure, migration, information and communication technology, as well as research and innovation.

Concrete projects will, for example, support election observation missions operated by the African Union in its member states or improve the governance of migration and mobility within Africa and between Africa and the EU. Some initiatives will benefit citizens directly, such as a student’s academic exchange programme or the harmonisation of academic curricula across a range of African universities facilitating the mobility of African students and academics.

Summary of Planned Projects

• Support Africa’s integration programmes
• Climate Change
• Security
• Trade Relations
• Environment
• Higher Education
• Governance of Migration and Mobility
• Infrastructure
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Information and Communication Technologies
• Research and Innovation
• Election observation missions
• Student’s academic exchange programmes
• Harmonisation of academic curricula across African universities
• Mobility of African students and academics