ECFR’s Africa Programme analyses the geopolitics of the Africa-Europe relationship. This includes relations between the African Union and the European Union; foreign policy tools and strategies; and opportunities to find creative policy solutions. The Programme also focuses on two regions that are particularly relevant for Europe: the Horn of Africa and the Sahel.
Africa’s new trade agreement promises deep economic integration on the continent – and offers the opportunity for greater African-European cooperation, including on the role trade can play in the green and digital transitions
A closer relationship between Britain, Africa, and the EU would benefit all sides. But this would require the British government to change its approach to Europe as well as to Africa.
Africa’s burgeoning innovation economies offer huge opportunities for the continent – and for Europe as it looks to tackle the climate crisis and respond to China’s BRI global connectivity programme
“Kenya First” may sound Trumpian. But if the new president can deliver on his promise to strengthen governance in the country, Kenya could prove an even more valuable partner for Europe.
Russia is exploiting weaknesses in Europe’s relationships with states across Africa. Germany will need to set a precedent in Mali if it is to respond to this challenge effectively.
ECFR is launching a series of high-level convenings, with a view to defining a shared concept of the Africa-Europe strategic partnership in the emerging new global order
A dispute over Kenya’s recent presidential election threatens the country’s political stability. Europeans should respect the election result and support a peaceful resolution of the situation in the courts.
By making new offers of partnership to African countries, Russia is setting a trap for the West
The Non-Aligned Movement is one of the largest international forums in the world. As the European Union finds its geopolitical feet, it should work to treat developing countries as individual states with their own interests and objectives.
European officials and thinkers to talk about challenges and opportunities presented by today’s political, security and economic crises
The EU’s values-led foreign policy and its stabilisation objectives in the Sahel are in tension with each other. Russia is now waiting to exploit that tension.
Stronger relationships with African states can help Europe address the immediate energy and food crises – and help counter Russian efforts to destabilise both continents
Africa’s new trade agreement promises deep economic integration on the continent – and offers the opportunity for greater African-European cooperation, including on the role trade can play in the green and digital transitions
Africa’s new trade agreement promises deep economic integration on the continent – and offers the opportunity for greater African-European cooperation, including on the role trade can play in the green and digital transitions
A closer relationship between Britain, Africa, and the EU would benefit all sides. But this would require the British government to change its approach to Europe as well as to Africa.
Africa’s burgeoning innovation economies offer huge opportunities for the continent – and for Europe as it looks to tackle the climate crisis and respond to China’s BRI global connectivity programme
ECFR’s policy experts examine what the Taliban takeover means for countries and regions around the world: Europe, the US, the Middle East, Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, and the Sahel
Regional organisations have proliferated in Africa, with many organisations attempting to address similar issues in similar parts of the continent. Europeans should take stock of the situation they have helped create.
The Alliance aimed to integrate security, development, and governance perspectives but has struggled to find coherence and effectiveness
North African countries, each for their own reasons, are increasingly turning their attention towards sub-Saharan Africa
The transition will only succeed if the government stabilises the economy and civilians work hard to tilt the balance of power away from the military
Some European leaders see stabilisation of the region – through curbing migration and counter terror threats – as key to the future of the European project
“Kenya First” may sound Trumpian. But if the new president can deliver on his promise to strengthen governance in the country, Kenya could prove an even more valuable partner for Europe.
Russia is exploiting weaknesses in Europe’s relationships with states across Africa. Germany will need to set a precedent in Mali if it is to respond to this challenge effectively.
A dispute over Kenya’s recent presidential election threatens the country’s political stability. Europeans should respect the election result and support a peaceful resolution of the situation in the courts.
By making new offers of partnership to African countries, Russia is setting a trap for the West
The Non-Aligned Movement is one of the largest international forums in the world. As the European Union finds its geopolitical feet, it should work to treat developing countries as individual states with their own interests and objectives.
The EU’s values-led foreign policy and its stabilisation objectives in the Sahel are in tension with each other. Russia is now waiting to exploit that tension.
Stronger relationships with African states can help Europe address the immediate energy and food crises – and help counter Russian efforts to destabilise both continents
Russia will politicise its food aid to Africa as it did covid-19 vaccines. Europe needs to learn from this experience of being outmanoeuvred as it responds to the global food crisis.
Many Europeans were disappointed with how African countries voted on UN resolutions to condemn Russia’s war on Ukraine. But they should remember that African states still need to diversify their partnerships.
The war looks set to create daunting challenges for African countries in areas such as food and energy security. Now more than ever, it is vital for Europe to show solidarity with them.
This project maps African regional initiatives in west and central Africa and provides a data-based and a geographical overview of the ‘à la carte’ nature of African regional cooperation
Violence is tearing Mali and the Sahel apart. But who are the armed groups behind the bloodshed? Where are international actors stationed in the region? And what motivates them all?
What does the end of Operation Barkhane in its current form mean for the Sahel?
What are the regional implications of the Tigray conflict and the prospects for transatlantic cooperation around the issue?
Where do we stand now in building a “strategic partnership” between the European and African continent?
ECFR is launching a series of high-level convenings, with a view to defining a shared concept of the Africa-Europe strategic partnership in the emerging new global order
European officials and thinkers to talk about challenges and opportunities presented by today’s political, security and economic crises
The European Council on Foreign Relations is delighted to invite you to our webinar on what the latest developments mean for Europe’s engagement in the Sahel.
To what extent can the European Green Deal and Global Gateway be shaped to satisfy both European and African interests?
This event is part of the German Forum on Security Policy #DFS2021
The European Council on Foreign Relations, the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, and the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes are delighted to invite you…
The roundtable will focus on the state of the Africa-Europe relationship with its challenges and opportunities, and the role that Southern Europe could play in the process
Online discussion on ECFR’s recent policy brief African regional cooperation: How to navigate Africa’s institutional landscape and mapping project by Amandine Gnanguênon
The economic knock-on effects of the COVID19 pandemic are severe all over the world but Africa is particularly exposed. As governments’ ability to respond to the…
Selling energy to Europe an opportunity for growth, but also a chance to find other people to be corrupt with
Gwamaka Kifukwe explains how selling energy to Europe could be an opportunity for Africa’s growth
The Kremlin has put the Europeans in a quandary: staying in Mali is becoming increasingly difficult
Where Europe takes on peacekeeping in Africa, the Kremlin uses tension to push its way to the front. This has consequences for Berlin politics, writes Theo Murphy.
Adaptation is not as sexy as mitigation. It’s egregiously underfunded. So that’s a hard sell in the best of times
Theodore Murphy comments on European leaders’ lack of engagement for climate change adaptation in Africa
French forces eliminated a significant number of jihadist fighters and leaders, operating under incredibly difficult circumstances and at high risk
Despite Western attempts to isolate Russia over its all-out war on Ukraine, Lavrov is using Africa to demonstrate that his country still has partners in some parts of the globe
