5th AU-EU Summit:

Africa and EU commit to fight slavery in Libya

President Biya participated at the 5th Africa-EU Summit in Abidjan

The President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul BIYA joined African Union and European Union leaders in Abidjan – Côte d’Ivoire on 29 November 2017, for the opening ceremony of the 5th AU-EU Summit. Heads of State and Government of 55 African countries and 28 European countries, as well as other top international personalities were present at the Sofitel Hotel Ivoire in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire for the two-day Africa-EU conclave.

                Holding under the theme: “Investing in youth for a sustainable future”, all key speakers at the conclave appealed for the strengthening of the strategic partnership between Africa and Europe and also underscored the need to invest in the youth, that not only form the bulk of Africa’s population but hold the key to the future of the continent and the world.

 The speakers included Professor Alpha Condé – current Chair of the AU and President of the Republic of Guinea; Antonio Guterres – UN Secretary General; Donald Tusk – President of the European Council; Moussa Faki Mahamat – Chairperson of the AU Commission; and Jean-Claude Juncker – President of the EU Commission.

                In his welcome speech, the President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, H.E. Alassane Ouattara advised young Africans to avoid the risk of illegal migration to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea. He said they could “improve their living conditions” on the African continent.

                President Ouattara also called on his peers to “make strong and innovative commitments”, recalling that “60% of the population is under 25 years”. He also spoke about the “totally unacceptable” situation of African migrants in Libya; “a despicable tragedy that reminds us of the worst hours in the history of humanity”.

                Apart from the situation in Libya, exchanges also revolved around migration, peace and security, climate change etc.

                The in-camera sessions held after the opening ceremony focused on the following themes:

                Increasing economic opportunities for youth: invest in Africa’s sustainable structural transformation - education and training towards the skills revolution (including climate change issues); migration and mobility and African Union-European Union Cooperation on Peace and Security.

Other Africa-EU meetings included that in Cairo in 2000, Lisbon in 2007, Tripoli in 2010 and Brussels in 2014.

Fallouts of Africa-EU summit

                Nigeria’s government says it has already begun repatriating hundreds of migrants who had been stranded in Libya, with the help of international migration authorities.

                The European Union, African Union and United Nations are setting up a special task force to help protect migrants, notably those detained in squalid conditions.