The debate on the new challenges of cooperation – The conference organised by IMAP – SUPDECO

An afternoon of reflection took place at the amphitheatre of Campus Faidherbe on the initiative of the Institut de management de l’administration publique (IMAP). The topic of the day was the new relationship between Europe and Africa.

The panel was moderated by Jean-Marc Pisani, EU Ambassador to Senegal and Amadou Diop, Senior Foreign Affairs Advisor of exceptional class. Representatives of the two continental entities, these diplomats raised the subject in front of a young audience composed mainly of students from our various programmes, but also of learners from the International Centre for European Training (CIFE) who came for the exchange programme.

Amadou Diop posed the subject in the context of a modern world made up of a past marked by European domination. He stressed that there had obviously been many changes in the relations between the two continents. This culminated in the first summit between the two entities in 2000 in Egypt. This type of meeting marked a new turning point in relations between Africa and Europe.

Only, at the same time, Amadou Diop stressed that many programs had implemented, especially in partnerships for the realization of infrastructures of various kinds.
However, he concluded that the record of the Africa-Europe partnership is “historically mixed. According to him, Europe’s priorities have been much more advanced to the detriment of those of Africans. This vertical vision should become horizontal so that priorities are more balanced,” said the Senegalese diplomat.

Following this, the EU Ambassador returned to the current configuration of relations between the two continents. He argued that Europe and Africa have changed. According to Jean-Marc Pisani, this change naturally implies a paradigm shift, which is now a reality.

Indeed, he pointed out that yesterday’s challenges are not those of today. Ambassador Pisani argued that new areas of collaboration are a priority. He added: “The challenges of food and pharmaceutical sovereignty, the availability of energy, the construction of infrastructure, the preservation of the environment, among others, are common to Europe and Africa, and it is in this direction that we will have to move forward.“That’s exactly what we’re trying to do with the Senegal Emergent Plan,” he explained.