Development Challenges in a Post-Pandemic Africa

Today more than ever, Africa is taking centre stage in international politics. The Covid-19 crisis has partly disrupted ongoing social and economic processes: while huge challenges and obstacles to a full development process ought to be addressed — especially in the face of the first economic recession of the past 25 years —, growing opportunities in the continent are yet to be seized by international partners. The European Union is among them: in March 2020, the European Commission issued a draft new Strategy with Africa, highlighting the need to align bilateral initiatives between European and African state actors with a comprehensive continent-to-continent relation based on mutual recognition and reciprocal interests in the fields of trade, digitalisation, green economy, migration, and security. 

The “EU-Africa Initiative” is organized by ISPI and the Policy Center for the New South with the aim to analyze the challenges and opportunities of the EU-Africa relationship.

Development Challenges in a Post-Pandemic Africa

Despite relatively low numbers of Covid-19 cases and victims in Africa – though the third wave has caused an uptick in the spread of the virus – the pandemic has had severe repercussions on the continent’s societies and economies. Extreme poverty levels rose, erasing progresses made over recent years, while negative (or stagnating) growth rates have both put pressure on African states over the sustainability of their debt obligations and undermined future prospects for development. Looking at a post-pandemic continent, African governments will need to secure financial support from international donors and partners to address development challenges: creating quality jobs, filling infrastructure gaps, stimulating intra-African trade as a way to strengthen competitiveness abroad are but a few of the policy strategies necessary to get Africa back on a development path over the next few years. What could be the role of European and other international partners in supporting those processes? How will the digital transformation impact African economies and societies? Is there room to promote a green and sustainable recovery?

This is the first of three conferences of the EU-Africa Initiative, and will be organized also in collaboration with the OECD.