Insights of a Motswana in Belgium
Keletso Thobega | Monday June 17, 2024 06:00
Coming from sub-Saharan Africa, a region of Africa still besieged by political corruption, unemployment, poor water and sanitation services and general low-level quality infrastructure and policies that end up on paper, I can assert that Africa still has a long way to go to create progressive countries. In my view, in current times, Kenya and Rwanda are the two countries that are doing well in terms of governance in Africa and other African countries could do well to learn both countries. I have visited four European Union (EU) countries – Germany, Italy, Denmark and Netherlands, and Belgium has had a more enticing aura for me, personally (yep, I love culture, good healthy food, green spaces, architecture and lifestyle). It’s a conservative country and the administrative and political hub of the European Union (EU).
I studied European History as part of the IGCSE curricula in secondary school and developed an interest in modern Europe and its influence on the world and its dominance over Africa. However, the Modern History text had little information on African and European relations. There is more to the two continent’s ties than colonialism, land grabs and raw material control. What has been most interesting has been learning about new-age democracy and the modern trade partnerships and development exchanges between the EU and the African Union (AU). Being caught in the election fever and euphoria has been quite interesting. It was not planned – it just happened that I would be here around election time. The EU countries (more than 20) went to the polls on 9 June. A new Parliament is expected to be elected by July and already, the Parliament, which I had the privilege to visit, is already undergoing grand renovations and refurbishments, for the grand occasion. Voter apathy is a global challenge and to counter this in Europe, there is an interesting initiative to try and encourage and motivate civil society to vote, dubbed, Together.eu, an elections campaign carried out online through social media and through free public videos for those not active on social media. The campaign aims to target audiences and tap into the civic conscience and inculcate values of civic consciousness and cognitive dissonance. The campaign highlights the importance of leadership for all and not partisan political parties. The EU Parliament is an interesting medley of different political parties and ideologies, from conservatives, socialists, democrats and left and right-wing
. This is in tandem with the tagline of ‘United in diversity.’ It uses a human-centric approach to encourage people to, ‘use your vote or others will decide for you.” The 24-hour site, for example, featured videos of both young and old people from across Europe sharing their democracy stories. The voters are reminded of issues of importance to their livelihoods such as the cost of living, energy access, climate mitigation, water access, job creation etc. It’s interesting to note that voting is compulsory in Belgium, which registered an 89.25% voter turnout. More interesting is that the voting age has decreased to 16. This is to encourage young people to cast their vote and play a role in the democratic process. Most interesting is that some countries have gender quotas, and as you might know, gender equality and inclusivity a key priority areas for the EU, so there is fair gender representation (plus the current EU Parliament is led by a woman, Roberta Metsola. I believe that Africa should develop its industries and make greater investments in continental intra-trade. Africa cannot in the long term, depend on foreign aid and grants. As things stand, Europe cannot continue to spoon-feed Africans. The EU is insistent that the aim is for Africans to view Europe as a trustworthy partner and not just as a donor, and the new campaigns are increasingly aimed at creating an environment that is conducive to dialogue.
There are several benefits that Africa has enjoyed from European institutions, which include funding access and trade opportunities, and the hope is that in the future (it’s OK to dream), Africa will also one day be self-sufficient. Speaking at a media engagement at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Genevieve Anne Dehoux who is the Deputy Head of Unit European Commission (Strategic Partnerships with Africa) gave a breakdown of the Global Gateway; a template for how Europe can build more resilient connections with the world, and the AU-EU Partnership. She explained that the AU-EU partnership provides an overarching framework for continent-to-continent dialogue based on shared values such as peace, security, democracy and human rights. “It is focused on a people-centred partnership to advance the green and digital transitions, for one. We are equal partners, Europe needs Africa, and Africa needs Europe,” she said. In February 2022 at the AU-EU summit, both nations concluded a joint Vision 2030 focused on sustainable shared prosperity and democracy among other values. The EU is Africa’s number one partner for Trade, Foreign Direct Investment and External contributions to the AU budget. She emphasised that Africa needs Europe not only for its funds but its expertise and also developing long-term sustainable trade systems. She said it’s important to develop a conducive macro investment and business environment, which is what Global Gateway is premised on. The five priority areas that the Global Gateway is supporting in Agenda 2030 include Digital (decent work, quality education, reduced inequalities), Climate and Energy (climate action, responsible consumption) sustainable transport, health (good health and well-being, zero hunger, clean water and sanitation and no poverty) as well as education and research (reduced inequalities, quality education and industry, innovation and infrastructure). Dehoux further said that the EU don’t want Africa to depend on Europe but to be sustainable.
The objectives are to build resilient connections between Africa and Europe, mobilise at least €150 billion of investment for Africa’s socio-economic, green and digital transformation, and support Africa’s priorities, co-created under the Agenda 2063. She said Europe does want to help in the forms of FDI and experts and see Africa develop a viable private sector. She said they want Africa to revitalise its manufacturing, saying that we are not going back by centralising manufacturing and refinery in Europe, especially in terms of natural resources such as diamonds, lithium, tobacco etc. She said G7 and G20 are working on it for the sustainable development of localised African industries and encourage value-driven industries. She made a bold statement when she said: “The EU wants to have a sister continent in Africa that is prosperous.” It remains to be seen how this transition in AU-EU relations will pan out and perhaps some other time, I will return with fresh insights and realities on how both continents are embracing these changing tides in governance and policy.
* Keletso Thobega is a freelance development journalist and 2024 Fellow of the African Union (AU) Media Fellowship and United Nations (UN) Foundation health reporting fellowship. She writes in her personal capacity.