President Paul BIYA and peers expected to give a new coating to the rich partnership between Europe and Africa.

The Justus Lipsius building of the European Union Complex in Brussels provided the setting yesterday 2 April 2014 for the opening ceremony of the 4th EU-Africa Summit. The ball was set rolling by the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy whose welcome address delved on the theme of the two-day summit. Investing in people, prosperity and peace was the axis around which all else revolved in the opening speeches. Other speakers included the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso; the President of the African Union Commission and the President of the African Union as well as the UN Chief Scribe Ban Ki-Moon and the Presidents of the Pan African and European Parliament.

After this initial segment, activities of the day involved two working sessions punctuated by introductory speeches by an equal number of European and African leaders. The first working session discussed “peace and security” while the second working session had to do with “security”. President Paul Biya and his peers from the European and African continents ended the working day with debates that demonstrated a shared vision and common principles.

All speakers stressed the need to deepen the solidarity and commonality of interest between the two continents. The debates also brought out the diverse and rich partnership between EU and Africa and the need to enrich the framework of their relationship. At the end of yesterday, the President of the European Union Council, Herman Van Rompuy, host of the Summit offered his quests a dinner at the Justus Lipsius building.

CAR Crisis

Shorty after mid-day yesterday, ahead of the opening ceremony of the 4th EU-Africa Summit, there was a special meeting on the crisis in the Central Africa Republic (CAR). At the behest of France, Mauritania, and the European Council, the special meeting on the crisis in Central Africa Republic took place in the presence of the interim President of the CAR. In all the meetings of yesterday, Cameroon played an active role through the presence of President Paul Biya whose vision of peace and prosperity remains a role model in the continent of Africa. Cameroon's diplomacy of peace and its acclaimed philosophy of good neighbourliness shed light on the themes under debate and obviously provided the practical roadmap for the attainment of shared prosperity and peace. As host of thousands of refugees not only from the Central Africa Republic but also from other neighbouring countries, Cameroon’s example of hospitality leaves no one indifferent. As the summit strives to take a fresh look on EU-Africa partnership, to highlight some of the results so far achieved and to explore areas for future cooperation, the practical obstacles to peace and security required practical solutions.

Shared History

Day two of the 4th EU-Africa Summit today 3 April begins as early as nine o’clock with the third working session on the theme of “Populations”. It will be followed by the fourth and last working sessions. “The mechanisms of financing and the institutional dispositions of the EU-Africa partnership”, will be the last theme for debate by the Heads of State and Government of Europe and Africa. This will be followed by the examination and adoption of the project of declaration, the closing ceremony and the press conference. Curtains will descend on the 4th EU-Africa Summit with an expected final audience at the Royal Palace granted by king Philippe in favour of the Heads of State and Government. Since most of the working sessions and debates are in camera, the Press Conference at the end of the summit today will shed more light on details of the debates and the wide ranging areas of future relations between the two continents. Bound by shared history, culture and geography, cooperation between the European Union and African is expected to reflect their diverse and rich partnership. It has to take into consideration the spirit of the age and the need for Africa to diversify its relations with other continents like Asia, North and South America amongst others. It also has to grow out of an outmoded colonial heritage and expand into mutually beneficial tenets that ensure genuine prosperity and lasting peace and security for the two continents.