Africa- EU summit starts on Wednesday in Abidjan

The city of Abidjan is poised to receive over 80 Heads of states from Africa and Europe who will
seek to strengthen relations between Africa and Europe. This will be at the 5th African Union-European Union Summit to run from 29-30 November in Cote d’Ivoire.
The summit to be held under the central theme “Investing in youth for a sustainable future”, is expected to bring together African and European Heads of State and Government, together with the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission, the President of the African Union and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
According to political pundits, the Abidjan AU-EU summit will be a key moment and opportunity to strengthen political and economic ties between the two continents.
At the summit, African and EU leaders will discuss the future of EU-Africa relations, and focus on investing in youth. This is a key priority for Africa and the EU as 60% of the African population is under the age of 25.
Other priorities of the EU-Africa partnership will be discussed during the summit. These will include; peace and security, governance including democracy, human rights, migration and mobility, investment and trade, skills development and job creation.
The Summits of Heads of States and Governments take place traditionally every three years alternately in Africa and Europe. These Summits take stock of the progress made in the implementation of commitments and provide political guidance for further work.
It should be recalled that during the last EU-Africa Summit in 2014 in Brussels, th e Heads of State and Governments of Africa and the EU adopted the “Brussels Declaration” and a Roadmap for 2014-2017, with the objective of addressing common challenges and bringing concrete benefits to citizens of both continents in accordance with the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES).