World
Europe and Africa Forging A New Relationship
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
Late January 2024, prominent African leaders and corporate business executives attended the summit intended to forge a new relationship between Europe and Africa. It was hosted by Italy’s hard-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni who who came to power in 2022. The significance of the summit was to reshape and place on track the European policy priorities and, at the same time, to highlight economic diplomacy and fix the long-trailed systematic development plans for Africa.
Within the context of the geopolitical changes, African political leaders have shown high enthusiasm and pragmatism, in developing relations with external countries. As trends in their approach with a new sense of diligent optimism show, African leaders fundamentally support the current global reconfiguration. Far beyond analytical talks of the scramble for resources by external powers, Africa is noticeably glued to the United States and Europe, while capitalizing on laudable offers from other players such as China, Russia, India, Turkey and those from the Arab world.
Given the current situation in the world, Africa has to step forward to harvest, with appropriate mechanisms and transparent procedures, concrete development-finance agreements, infrastructure engagements, trade and economic cooperation and above all humanitarian assistance for the most disadvantaged segments of the population that these external players offer at these summits. African leaders have to tone down all ideological manifestations and capitalize on existing challenges, contradictions and complexities of these geopolitical players including the United States, Europe Asia and Latin America to address instability, and socio-economic deficits and effectively coordinate strategic policies toward achieving sustainable development in this multipolar world.
At least during the past two decades, Africa’s invitations to international summits and conferences have been primarily due to, perhaps, a complex relationship with China. China started when Russia exited, and China has landmark achievements across the continent. Russia is struggling to regain or retrieve part of its Soviet-era influence. Now, the United States and Europe aim to counter the fast-rising influence of China and Russia.
Despite the lengthy process of persuasion and consensus building on previous partnerships, Europe still faces challenges. Late January 2024, Italy became the European country of convergence, with Italy as a key bridge between Africa and Europe. Approximately two dozen African leaders, the African Union, top European Union and United Nations officials and representatives from international lending institutions were in Rome for the summit, the first major event of Italy’s Group of Seven presidency.
Meloni’s so-called “Mattei Plan” is named after Enrico Mattei, the founder of Eni – Italy’s state-owned energy giant. In the 1950s, he advocated a cooperative stance towards African countries, helping them to develop their natural resources. “The basis of the Mattei Plan is a new approach – non-predatory, non-paternalistic but also not charitable,” Meloni told state-run RAI station. “It’s an approach of equals, to grow together.”
Political Diplomacy
Italy being part of the European Union has played on historical heart-settings with Africa. Over the past years, it has forged multi-dimensional cooperation as part of the foreign policy, and similarly the members of the European Union. Now these European Union members are pushing hard to showcase the future trajectory in their individual and collective relations with Africa. Europe promises to develop large-scale investment in various sectors, especially in the energy sectors in the continent, and straining efforts at curbing migration of Africans to Europe.
A former Prime Minister of the Republic of Chad and now the African Union Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, jolted his Italian hosts with sharply worded comments at the opening of the summit dubbed “A Bridge for Common Growth” held in Rome. Rome holds the presidency of the G7 group of nations this year and has vowed to make African development a central theme, in part to increase influence in a continent where powers such as China, Russia, India, Japan and Turkey have been expanding their political clout.
“We are not beggars, our ambition is much higher, we want a paradigm shift for a new model of partnership that can pave the way towards a fairer and more coherent world. You can well understand that we can no longer be satisfied with mere promises that are often not kept,” he told the gathering.
With the rapidly changing times, Europe has to wake up to the immense potential of Africa. European Union and individual members have made financial pledges but seriously lack practical evidence of undertaking projects. And African leaders at the summit were frank, unreservedly endorsed criticisms of making distinction between rhetoric and reality as suggested in remarks by the AU Chairperson Moussa Faki.
Reports pointed to Mahamat who categorically emphasized the necessity for Africa to be consulted on priorities and stressed the urgency of moving from promises to concrete actions. He underscored the frustration with unfulfilled commitments, calling for a more results-oriented approach.
The plan, which includes more than €5.5 billion ($6 billion) in investments, credits, gift operations, and guarantees – including building a training centre on renewable energy in Morocco, education projects in Tunisia, and other projects in Algeria, Mozambique, Egypt, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Kenya – was not well received by the African leaders in attendance, who said that they had not been consulted in the formation of the plan.
Italy’s first African-born parliamentarian Aboubakar Soumahoro, who is deputy and coordinator of the parliamentary intergroup for Sub-Saharan Africa, also criticized the plan.
Cristiano Maugeri of Action Aid Italia lamented that the government had excluded any consultation with civil society groups active in African development to formulate the plan, and said that it regardless represented something of a repackaging of existing projects. “We are talking about initiatives that have already been presented in other contexts, only with a new stamp on them,” he said.
The UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed praised Italy for focusing on the key pillars of energy and food systems, saying they complement an approach already mapped out by the African Union. But she lamented that overall, the 2030 targets of the globally-approved U.N. Sustainable Development Goals are “falling woefully short” and further urged the government of Italy to make such deep, effective, and equal partnerships a reality, and to use its presidency of the G7 to work with other countries to do likewise.
Given the fact that Italy currently holds the rotating chair of the Group of Seven (G7) major Western powers, the narrative around Africa has to change, to promote African interests during the G7 presidency. Europe has to take advantage of the largest renewable energy resources the vast arable land for agriculture, and the possibility of industrial production for the latest – the African Continental Market (AfCFTA).
African-Italian Negotiations
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni unveiled a long-awaited initiative aimed at helping African countries prosper in return for curbing illegal immigration, pumping a preliminary 5.5 billion euros ($5.96 billion) into the scheme. The schemes include efforts to develop African agribusiness and mobilize Italian transport and major works companies.
During a post-summit news conference, Meloni acknowledged the importance of translating promises into tangible projects on the ground. With more than 25 countries in attendance, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and representatives of UN agencies and the World Bank, Meloni explained the plan would initially be funded to the tune of €5.5 billion, some of which would be loans, with investments focused on energy, agriculture, water, health and education.
The prime minister, however, emphasized the need for collaboration with the private sector and international bodies, such as the European Union, to ensure the initiative’s success.
Energy needs stand at the core of Italy’s initiative, with the country aiming to serve as a gateway for African natural gas into European markets. The ambitious plan gains significance in the context of the European Union’s efforts to diversify energy supplies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the former Soviet republic. Meloni outlined a series of pilot projects in individual countries that would enable Africa to become a major exporter of energy to Europe, helping it reduce its dependence on Russian energy.
European Global Gateway
In the previous years, the European Union has sought to build strongly on its existing economic and trade relationship with Africa. It held the last summit in February 2022, with African leaders and the African Union. It has been attempting to bring Africa and Europe closer together for strategic, long-term footing to develop a shared vision for EU-Africa relations in a globalized world.
In an official document, it said it would (i) Support AfCFTA implementation and the green transition; (ii) Improve trade and investment climate between the EU and Africa; (iii) Reinforce high-level public private dialogue; (iv) Enhance long-term dialogue structures between EU and Africa Business Associations; (v) Unlock new business and investment opportunities, including in the areas of manufacturing and agro-processing as well as regional and continental value chains development.
Referred to as the Joint EU-Africa Strategy, the document takes into cognizance the most common interests such as climate change, global security and the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The potential to increase trade, economic growth, job creation and integration across the continent remains enormous, because today, only around 17% of African trade flows take place between African countries. “Of course, there will be challenges along the way, and the EU stands ready to help. We want to share the lessons from our process of economic integration, and with our new Global Gateway Strategy, we have demonstrated that we are ready to support massive infrastructural investment in Africa,” Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade as well as chairing the Commissioners’ group on an Economy that Works for People, noted when the EU-African Union Summit was held in February 2022.
Dombrovskis said: “We continue to support the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Achieving this will represent a historic milestone. the EU has a diverse range of trade agreements with countries in Africa. These are dynamic partnerships, in which we advance step-by-step for our mutual benefit. We aim to widen and deepen these economic and partnership agreements with those African countries that are willing to do so.”
The EU-Africa summit focuses on the search for more effective ways to scale-up sustainable development in Africa, according to various reports. Due to the shifting of geopolitics, the continent now increasingly turning into an intersection of global power players and it faces a precarious complex future. But what is important here is that the European players have to incorporate most aspects of partnership directions (adopt more effective ways to scale up sustainable development in Africa) within the framework of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations and Agenda 2063 of the African Union.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
One year after launching a continental initiative designed to make excellence in public governance the foundation of a new drive to transform Africa, LEAD, the Africa CEO Forum’s pan-African leadership programme, takes stock of its first cohort and announces the launch of its second class. Built around a community of senior public decision-makers committed to modernising the state and to the continent’s digital transformation, this new cohort gathers for three days, from 28 to 30 August 2026, on the campus of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Rabat, Morocco.
A second cohort that confirms the programme’s durability
For its second class, LEAD brings together 50 fellows, senior public decision-makers engaged in the design and implementation of the continent’s economic and social policies. Over three days, participants take part in collective and collaborative working sessions, peer exchanges and meetings with figures from the public, business and academic spheres, in order to compare their practices and build shared responses to the major challenges of governance.
Speakers include Mehdi Jomaa, former Head of Government of Tunisia, Donald Kaberuka, Managing Partner & Founder, SouthBridge Group, and former President of the African Development Bank, Serge Ekue, President of the West African Development Bank (BOAD), Sanjay Jain, co-creator of India Stack and Director of Digital Public Infrastructure, Gates Foundation, and Mauricio Cardenas, Professor of Professional Practice in Global Leadership, Columbia SIPA, and former Finance Minister of Colombia (2012-2018).
They share their reform experience, their public policy trade-offs and their view of continental priorities. Throughout the programme, the cohort benefits from the dedicated support of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Asafo & Co, BOAD, BCG and the African Development Bank, LEAD partners that have chosen to invest in the transformation of African public action.
LEAD, a pan-African community serving public action
Created by the AFRICA CEO FORUM, LEAD is a leadership programme whose ambition is to reposition Africa’s administrative elite as a driver of reform, of performance and of dialogue with all the continent’s stakeholders.
Designed for senior African public decision-makers, LEAD sets out to build a lasting community of public officials able to share their experience, compare their practices and build common solutions to the major economic, technological and institutional transformations under way in Africa. That community is structured around three pillars: modernizing the state, improving public services, and strengthening cooperation between governments, development institutions and private-sector players.
From fellows to alumni: a long-term initiative
Made up of 36 fellows drawn from a range of administrations and institutions and representing 24 countries across the continent, LEAD’s first cohort demonstrated the quality and the potential of this community from its very first year. In less than twelve months, six of its members have taken a significant step forward: two have been appointed ministers, two have moved into strategic positions at the highest level of the state and two have been promoted to chief executive roles. These moves, which account for 16.7% of the first class, show the role LEAD plays as an accelerator of impact within African administrations.
By bringing together a new cohort of fellows every year, each of them joining the LEAD alumni community, the initiative follows a long-term trajectory: in time, to unite several hundred African public decision-makers around a shared culture of transparency, performance and regional cooperation.
A first year devoted to public service and digital public infrastructure
Throughout the year, the fellows devoted their work to strengthening African public action, to make excellence in public governance a central lever of transformation. An awareness campaign, run as part of Africa Public Service Day, brought to light those who, within the continent’s administrations and institutions, are concretely transforming public policy and improving the services offered to citizens.
Members of the cohort also took part in a special round table held in Kigali during the ACF 2026, in order to carry their thinking to a wider community of public and private leaders. That forum reinforced LEAD’s role as a platform for dialogue between the administrative elite and the continent’s economic players. Digital public infrastructure (DPI) formed the main thread of this first year of work.
Discussions covered issues at the heart of the digital sovereignty of African states: digital identity, payments, secure data exchange, interoperability, governance and the protection of citizens. This work examined the conditions under which African states are developing, in some cases, and can develop, in others, shared, open infrastructure robust enough to improve the quality of public services while supporting local innovation and preserving the capacity of public authorities to set the rules of the game.
A white paper to move from consuming technology to creating value
This year of work concludes with the publication, in collaboration with BCG, LEAD’s Knowledge Partner, of a white paper on Africa’s place in the digital economy and in artificial intelligence. With the digital economy still accounting for around 5% of African GDP, against close to 15% worldwide, the paper calls on the continent to shift from a logic of technology consumption to one of value creation.
The white paper identifies three structuring priorities for African public actors:
- Building shared digital infrastructure that serves as the backbone of public services and private innovation.
- Pooling investment in order to reach critical mass and avoid the fragmentation of efforts across the continent.
- Favouring open and interoperable architectures, with trust and governance built in by design, so as to protect citizens while stimulating the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The white paper is available here to all public decision-makers, technical partners and institutions concerned.
“LEAD’s first cohort confirms a simple conviction: Africa already has the women and men capable of profoundly transforming public action. Our responsibility, either with our partners, is to give them, at pan-African level, a space in which to compare experience, build common solutions and bring forward a new generation of public policy. With this second cohort, we want to accelerate the move from ambition to execution, in particular on digital public infrastructure and artificial intelligence, two decisive issues for sovereignty, for the effectiveness of the state and for value creation across the continent,” says Amir Ben Yahmed, President of the Africa CEO Forum.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
Africa is set to make history as it hosts the World Public Summit for the first time, with Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, welcoming global leaders and changemakers from July 29–30, 2026, for the landmark gathering under the theme “New World: Africa in Shaping a Shared Future.”
The inaugural African edition of the World Public Summit marks a significant milestone in the continent’s growing role in shaping international dialogue on governance, sustainable development, human-centred leadership and global cooperation.
Hosted by the World Peoples Assembly in partnership with African and international organisations, the summit will convene government officials, diplomats, business leaders, academics, journalists, youth representatives, civil society organisations and cultural leaders from across Africa and around the world.
According to Andrey Belyaninov, General Secretary of the World Peoples Assembly, “the Summit is not just a meeting—it is a space for unity. A space where the ‘values that unite us’ come to life: respect for people, openness to the world, responsibility for the future, and a commitment to creation.
“Today, we understand more clearly than ever: the future cannot be built alone. It is born in dialogue, in trust, in the ability to listen to one another and to act together.”
The programme begins on July 29 with a series of high-level roundtables and expert discussions covering Pan-African economic integration, civil society, education, scientific cooperation, cultural diplomacy and humanitarian partnerships.
The opening plenary, “Values, Development and Partnership as the Basis of a Sustainable and Just World,” will explore how African values—including Ubuntu—can help shape a more inclusive and sustainable global future. Discussions will also focus on youth leadership, innovation, civil society, ethical AI, public initiatives and international partnerships.
The summit will also showcase Africa’s creativity and innovation through the “Innovations for the Future” exhibition, the contemporary African art exhibition “Unity,” and the international exhibition “The World Paints Happiness.”
Another featured initiative is “The Zambezi River: Economy, Society, Soul,” an international interdisciplinary project exploring the river’s socioeconomic importance across Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, highlighting the shared heritage and development potential of one of Africa’s most important waterways.
The event will conclude with the adoption of the African Communiqué, reflecting the summit’s shared vision for stronger international cooperation, sustainable development and people-centred leadership.
Tsegaye Chama, General Secretary of the Global Black Centre, promised that, “The Summit will be delivered with exceptional distinction, reflecting the magnitude and spirit of the World Peoples Assembly. It embodies a unity that is not transactional, but purposeful and conscious, a unity that shapes new contours for a world that works for all peoples of the World.”
As delegates prepare to arrive in Addis Ababa, anticipation continues to build for what promises to be one of Africa’s most significant international gatherings of 2026—one that will place the continent firmly at the centre of global conversations about the future.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria regained its position as Africa’s leading destination for equity startup investment in the first half of 2026, raising $214 million in equity financing and a total of $254 million across equity and debt, according to the latest Africa: The Big Deal report.
The report, titled H1 2026: Mapping the Money, showed that Nigeria ranked second on the continent in total funding, behind Egypt, which attracted $327 million, while Kenya and South Africa followed with $126 million and $83 million, respectively.
However, the report noted that Egypt’s top position was largely driven by a single fundraising by electric mobility company Spiro, which secured $327 million, including $270 million in equity and $57 million in debt. Excluding debt financing, Nigeria emerged as Africa’s largest equity funding market in the first six months of the year.
According to the breakdown by Africa: The Big Deal, Nigeria’s equity funding of $214 million was higher than Egypt’s $183 million, while South Africa and Kenya attracted $66 million and $46 million, respectively.
Beyond funding value, Nigeria also led the continent in the number of startups that raised at least $100,000 during the review period, reclaiming the top spot after what the report described as an “underwhelming” second half of 2025.
The publication observed that Nigeria’s fundraising performance has remained relatively stable over the past few years and exceeded the $250 million mark for the first time since 2022, pointing to renewed investor confidence in the country’s startup ecosystem.
It also found that while the Big Four startup markets—Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa—continued to dominate Africa’s investment landscape, their combined share of total funding stood at 58 per cent in the first half of 2026.
“Zooming back on the Big Four (110 out of 190 $100k+ deals, i.e. 58%), Nigeria is head and shoulders above its peers, with Egypt and Kenya almost tying, and South Africa in fourth position again,” the report noted.
The report highlighted contrasting performances among the continent’s largest startup ecosystems. While Nigeria and Egypt maintained strong funding momentum, Kenya recorded its weakest funding performance since early 2021 after a strong second half of 2025, and South Africa failed to attract $100 million in funding during the period despite leading the continent a year earlier.
Africa: The Big Deal also noted a broader shift in investor behaviour, with funding increasingly concentrated in larger transactions while early-stage investments continued to decline. According to the publication, the drop in smaller funding rounds reflects growing concerns about limited capital available for early-stage startups across Africa.
