Infrastructures at the heart of the Africa-EU comprehensive strategy

With a view to the sixth summit between the African Union and the EU, which will take place in the course of the second half of 2021 with the aim to define a new partnership between the two parties, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) host on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, the seventh meeting of the EU-Africa Economic and Social Stakeholders' Network.

This meeting brings together representatives of organized civil society (employers and chambers of commerce, employees and trade unions, cooperatives, academics, NGOs, etc.) from both sides to prepare a political declaration that will be forwarded to the upcoming Africa Union (UA)-EU Heads of State summit to feed the debate by contributing the point of view of organized civil society.

The specific title of the event is "Infrastructures at the heart of the Africa-EU comprehensive strategy", and it is intended primarily to:

  • enable non-state actors to better understand the COVID-19 situation in Africa;
  • examine the common challenge of the green transition;
  • study the functioning of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Among the high-profile speakers at the conference:

  • Denise A. O. KODHE, Presiding Officer of the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU ECOSOCC), Director General of the Institute for Development and Leadership in Africa (IDEA)
  • Matshidiso MOETI, Regional Director for Africa of the World Health Organization (WHO)
  • Inma VAZQUEZ, Representative to the EU and NATO & Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) COVID-19 experience in Africa
  • Salha ISSOUFOU, Director of Operations of MSF for West and Central Africa.
  • Jocelyne LANDRY TSONANG, representative of the African Circular Economy Network
  • Amadou SAKO, External Advisor for Africa, International Organisation of Employers
  • Anselme AMOUSSOU, Secretary General of the Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Benin (CSA-Benin) and member of the Economic and Social Council of Benin
  • Anaïs AMAZIT, representative of the AU-EU Youth Cooperation Hub