Understanding Africa-EU Relations from a Decolonial Perspective

Event Type
Workshop

Location / Date
Pretoria, South Africa, 11.09.2025 until 12.09.2025

Organizer

Nelson Mandela University, European Think Tanks Group (ETTG), German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)

Background

This year marks 25 years since the inaugural EU-Africa Summit was held in Cairo. Some weeks ago, on the 21st of May, EU and AU foreign ministers convened in Brussels for the first time in several years, and the next AU-EU summit of heads of state and government will take place in Angola on 24 and 25 November. New initiatives and considerable ongoing cooperation revitalize and modernize the partnership between Europe and Africa. Yet the AU’s decision to designate 2025 as "Year of Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations" also underlines that a confident future needs to find a solid foundation in an open dialogue about the past. 

The foundation of the European project was closely linked with the colonial occupations in Africa of some of its founding member states. After the African states gained their independence, their relations with Europe both continued and changed. The preamble to the 1975 Lomé Convention with the African, Caribbean and Pacific states communicated that signing parties were “anxious to establish, on the basis of complete equality between partners, close and continuing co-operation, in a spirit of international solidarity.” The decades that followed, however, showed that dedicated funds and institutions could not compensate for the asymmetry inherent in the relationship. 

Although recent strategies such as the 2022 EU-AU Summit’s “Joint Vision for 2030”, the Samoa Agreement, or the EU’s Global Gateway continue to promote the idea of a more equal partnership, Africa-EU relations continue to reflect colonial legacies. These colonial legacies influence policies and discourses in ways that often reinforce Eurocentric structures and knowledge systems. In particular, higher education and research cooperation reflect structural inequalities, with African institutions often positioned as recipients rather than equal contributors.

Rather than a discussion relevant for the academic realm, reviewing and discussing EU-Africa relations from a decolonial perspective is highly policy-relevant today. It enables researchers and policymakers to understand and critically analyse the relationships in terms of colonial legacies, (dis)continuities and power dynamics between the different actors involved, and hence, provide the inputs needed for building horizontal relations. The dialogue at this event will contribute to shaping policy frameworks and foster equitable partnerships.
 

Aim of the event and targeted audience

This event aims to critically assess and reimagine Africa-EU partnerships by consolidating previous learnings and sustaining momentum for equitable partnership. The specific aims are:

  • Take note of and discuss key evolutions, challenges and possibilities for the AU-EU partnership in this anniversary year
  • Examine the research and higher education policies in the context of Africa-EU cooperation
  • Facilitate dialogue among diverse stakeholders to identify pathways toward more equitable partnerships between Europe and Africa

The workshop will take place over 1.5 days and bring together a group of around thirty participants to allow for dynamic and interactive discussions. In view of the sensitive nature of the discussions, the workshop will be held under the Chatham House rules so that people can exchange freely and independently from any official positions that their employing organisations may promote. 

The workshop will bring together policymakers and experts from the EU, African and European governments, civil society organizations (CSOs), as well as academic experts on Africa-EU relations and decoloniality. 

It aims to foster multi-stakeholder engagement by bringing together diverse perspectives, facilitating networking among actors, creating a joint (un)learning environment, and formulating collective ideas for different pathways in Africa-EU partnerships.
 

Programme
11 September 2025 15:00-20:00

15.00 - 15.15 Welcome addresses

  • Iliana Olivié, Director, European Think Tanks Group
  • André Keet, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Engagement and Transformation, NMU
  • Niels Keijzer, Project Lead and Senior Researcher, IDOS

15.15 - 16.00 Keynotes

  • H.E. Naledi Pandor, Honorary Professor and former Foreign Minister, South Africa 
  • H.E. Karin Poulsen, Ambassador of Denmark to South Africa

16.00 - 17.00 Kick-off Session: AU-EU relations 25 years since Cairo, what’s next? 

Input providers:

  • Mokgadi Tena, Director of International Relations, Ministry of Higher Education, Science & Innovation, South Africa
  • Niels Keijzer, Project Lead and Senior Researcher, IDOS
  • Philani Mthembu, Executive Director, Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD)

Moderator: Danai Tembo, Lecturer and Academic Coordinator, Nelson Mandela University

17.30 - 20.00 Networking Dinner
 

12 September 2025 9:00-15:45

09.00 - 10.30 Session 1: Towards a strengthened AU-EU partnership in research and higher education

Exploratory questions: What does an ideal, equal AU-EU partnership in research and higher education look like? What systemic changes are necessary for collaborations that are (more) equitable?
Topic introduced by Sakhile Phiri, Lecturer and Academic Coordinator, NMU

Input providers:

  • Savo Heleta, Research Associate, Nelson Mandela University
  • Srila Roy, Head of the Department of Sociology, University of the Witwatersrand (tbc)
  • Tugela Matubatuba, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)

Moderator: Niels Keijzer, IDOS

10.30 - 11.00 Tea Break

11.00 - 12.30 Session 2: Navigating asymmetry in the partnership

Exploratory question: What is desirable and realistic to change during the coming years? How can we critically engage with topics such as privileges and asymmetries within the Africa-EU partnership(s)?
Topic introduced by Danai Tembo, NMU

Input providers:

  • Samia Chasi, Head of Internationalisation and Strategic Partnerships Office (ISPO), University of the Witwatersrand
  • Ivory Kairo, Manager Decolonisation and Development, Development Reimagined 
  • Rose Jaji, Senior Researcher, IDOS

Moderator: Sakhile Phiri, Lecturer and Academic Coordinator, NMU

12.30 - 14.00 Lunch

14.00 - 15.30 Session 3: Acknowledging the past and finding ways forward

Exploratory question: What are some of the more pragmatic and actionable changes we can take up to strengthen AU-EU relations in general, and in the area of higher education in particular?
 Topic introduced by Niels Keijzer, IDOS

Input providers:

  • Samuel Fongwa, Program Officer, Training Grants and Fellowships, Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA)
  • Berto Masibulele Bosscha, Education & Science Counsellor, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 
  • Miguel Heilbron, Global Citizenship Community

Moderator: Danai Tembo, NMU

15.30 - 15.45 Next steps and closing remarks

 

Hinweis

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