Africa

Annual Renew Pac Summit: Africa’s liberals, democrats, others commit to strong agenda to promote sustainable development

The RenewPAC Summit 2023 has ended in Dakar, Senegal, uniting influential figures from Europe and Africa to deliberate on fostering sustainable development across both continents.

The General Assembly of the Summit adopted a manifesto representing the collective voice of liberals and democrats in the renew Europe political family, as well as allied parties in the Pacific, Africa and the Caribbean.

The manifesto seeks to address topics such as democracy and the rule of law, peace and security, fun­damental rights, good governance, trade and investment, SMEs, environment and climate, energy, education, health and migration.

Under the theme “Europe and Africa: How to Foster Sustainable Development,” it was opened by Macky Sall, President of the Re­public of Senegal, in the presence of Nicola Beer, Vice-President of the European Parliament, Hakima El Haite, President of the Liberal International and Gilbert Noël Ouédraogo, President of the Afri­can Liberal Network.

The manifesto constitutes a strong commitment to strength­ening democratic institutions, pro­moting political accountability and safeguarding individual freedoms.

The Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament, which took the lead in organising the RE­NEWPAC Summit, believes that the partnership between Europe and Africa should serve as a cata­lyst for sustainable development, ensuring that economic prosperity is accessible to all.

Jan-Christoph Oetjen (FDP, Germany), Renew Europe MEP and EU co-chair of RENEWPAC, said “as a liberal and democrat, I am proud of what our political family achieved at the RENEW­PAC Summit in Dakar. Our shared vision, which upholds the funda­mental values that have united us throughout history, will continue to light our path to a brighter, more prosperous and more equita­ble future for the people of both continents. Fostering sustainable development is essential for EU-Africa relations and today our political family is firmly committed to making this happen.

Mohamed Ouzzine, Member of the Moroccan Parliament and Africa Co-Chair of RENEWPAC, added “throughout history, nations facing economic challenges and fragile democracies have felt the impact of coups. These upheavals have an impact on both security, exemplified by the emergence of jihadism, and socio-economic aspects, revealing the inability of leaders to meet citizens’ expec­tations. The African continent is experiencing a domino effect, as similar patterns are repeated during the various transitions of power.” —AP

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