What are solutions to African challenges?

It was the third day of a week-long study visit to the European Union corporate headquarters in the heart of Brussels, Belgium, in late January. Journalists and media professionals under the African Union Media Fellowship had gathered to take stock of 25 years of the AU-EU partnership and forge a path in the productive cooperation that lies ahead.

At 10am that wintry Wednesday, a team of the EU spokespersons was on hand to take the visitors through the various segments of the partnership, fielding questions on security, trade, economy, politics and more. While the conversations lasted, a stance was made unmistakably clear: the antidotes to African challenges should be African.

Notably, the need for strategic and tailor-made solutions was the fulcrum of the 7th AU-EU summit in Luanda last November and remains the cornerstone of Agenda 2063, which seeks inclusive and sustainable socioeconomic development, political integration, improved democracy and justice systems, as well as peace and security in all the 55 AU member states.

The role of the EU in addressing the security crisis in the Sahel over the years featured prominently in the course of the engagement. And with military coups in Mali and Burkina Faso, the European organisation is now adapting its longstanding partnership through a renewed approach to fighting insecurity on one hand and pursuing diplomatic dialogue on the other.

“Obviously, you (Africa) can count on the EU support,” Anouar El Anouni, the spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, declares, “but it is the primary responsibility of [national] governments to address security and governance challenges in their countries, because again, we believe that African solutions should be given to African problems.”

€234 spent on counterterrorism operations

“To unpack a bit of what we do,” El Anouni continues, the EU provides support for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), a regional military coalition established by Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Benin and Niger to combat Boko Haram insurgency and related threats in the Lake Chad Basin.

“We have been supporting this task force for a decade with €234 million,” he reveals. Added to this is the European Peace Facility, a military component of the EU’s diplomatic support to many African countries.

“The EPF has also been supporting the task force since 2022. Half of the EPF beneficiaries are African partners, which means something in terms of our cooperation and substantial contribution on the ground.

“And in terms of numbers, our total military support under the EPF to the African partners has now exceeded €1.2 billion,” the spokesman adds.

With 11 EU civilian and military missions in Africa out of 21 globally, El Anouni says the body remains an active player in ensuring security and stability in the continent.

“With the latest data that we have, we have been reacting to the situation that we have seen unfolding in Nigeria in the past few weeks.  We support Nigeria in its fight against violence and insecurity across the country. We have a long record of cooperation projects on peace-building and fighting against insecurity and violence.

“We also support the victims of violence in Nigeria, especially the internally displaced people.  We are active in terms of addressing the root causes, especially in terms of promoting people-to-people dialogue, but also interfaith dialogue, because that was also a key dimension in the last events that we have seen,” he says.

€557m humanitarian aid for Nigeria, others

Meanwhile, the European Commission has allocated €557m to humanitarian crises in West and Central Africa, the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin, North-West Nigeria, Central Africa, Southern Africa, the Great Lakes region and the Greater Horn of Africa. The fund is part of the commission’s initial €1.9bn humanitarian aid budget for 2026.

Also, €14.6 million is earmarked for North Africa, which remains exposed to complex political, economic and social challenges.

“At a time when 239 million people need assistance and major donors are cutting funding, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib…[is]seeking to mobilise private sector finance and innovative solutions that can complement public funding and reach people in need,” a statement by the commission reads.

The aid is expected to deliver life-saving assistance in critical areas, including emergency food and shelter, critical healthcare, protection for the most vulnerable, and support for children’s education in crisis zones.

“As other donors retreat and humanitarian law faces unprecedented strain, the EU maintains its commitment: principled aid that reaches people in need, wherever they are,” it adds.

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