Africa-Press – Namibia. “AS Africa sets sail on the future, the European Union wants to be Africa’s partner of choice.”
This was the message of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at the joint press conference following the sixth European Union – African Union Summit that concluded in Brussels on Friday. President Hage Geingob on his European working visit engaged with various world leaders at the summit.
“Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands and I had a fruitful meeting on how our countries can deepen cooperation in green hydrogen production, industry development and skills transfer. We agreed that the Port of Rotterdam and Namport will work jointly in this sector,” the President said.
“Namibia values the development partnership with the EU. I thank Ms Ursula von der Leyen for the constructive engagement on how we can scale up our efforts for a just energy transition that favours job-creation and the socio-economic development of our countries,” he said.
Von der Leyen described the summit as “packed and productive”. “We need a stronger partnership between us. What does it mean, concretely? It means remaining an economic partner you can trust.
“The European Union is the first trading partner and the first investor in Africa. And therefore, it is no coincidence that the first regional plan under our big investment strategy, Global Gateway, is the Africa-Europe plan, with more than 150 billion Euros of investment. And indeed, we have developed together very clear objectives we want to invest in,” she said.
Topics discussed in depth at the summit included green transition, transport networks, connectivity within the continent that is crucial for the Free Trade Area to function, digital connections, sustainable agriculture; healthcare and, education.
“Africa is rich, rich in renewable power, if you look at hydropower, solar power, wind power. And Africa is rich in nature, with a quarter of the world’s biodiversity. So to end climate change, the world needs Africa.
“Yet, the transition to clean energy will be a process for economies that rely heavily on coal, be it in Africa or be it in Europe. But we are both determined,” Von der Leyen said.
“Europe is Africa’s number one partner in the fight against Covid-19. And we will do even more. We are on the right track to reach our goal to share at least 450 million vaccine doses by this summer. And indeed, together, we are building up mRNA manufacturing capacity across Africa.” Von der Leyen said Europe wants to remain Africa’s first partner and a loyal partner. “And we are moving, right now, from words to action.”
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