The necessity, with the utmost urgency and priority, of a guided change in European mindsets through a large awareness-raising campaign for everyone.

Town-hall debates organized by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

Belgium as a pilot country: 100 town-hall debates

Europe must 'deserve' a partnership with Africa - Europe needs Africa more than the other way around.

Expected results "Africa is not what you think" (Belgium, pilot country)

Remarks

• Are there examples of successful campaigns to change public mindsets on the theme 'Africa is not what you think'? No, it has not been tested anywhere in Europe. It should be noted that the recommended mindset change activity 'Whole-of-society' does not require additional investments: in Belgium, the ODA ENABEL reallocates its priorities for a year, freeing up ten of its 2,000 budgeted employees to organize 100 debate evenings. About a hundred cities and municipalities generously make their cultural centers or event halls available for this public interest activity. So why not test such a campaign?

• Why not start with five well-selected and well-supported partnerships? (Their success will create a ripple effect and encourage others to do the same). This has been tested several times without visible results due to a lack of critical mass of successes capable of motivating other SMEs to follow their example. This strategy, unfortunately without tangible results, is generally recommended by consulting firms seeking short-term billable revenues.

• A completely autonomous developing Africa without international partnerships? No country or continent has ever succeeded in developing in autarky. Companies or regions specialize in certain niches of the economy, manage to conquer international markets, and generate revenues to pay for goods and services not produced locally. Certainly, in the current era of a definitively globalized economy and hyper-complex industrial value chains, it is impossible for Africa to autonomously master the know-how required to orchestrate value chains. This cannot be learned at university or in business incubators. It is only in the field, through the practice of proven partnerships, as a link in a value chain or as a manager in a multinational, that one can internalize the necessary skills to potentially orchestrate an industrial value chain oneself.

• What about the endemic scourges of Africa? (corruption, inequalities, gender imbalance, child labor, nepotism, lack of land rights, regime instability, ...). Today's West, which promotes the SDGs in Africa, forgets that during the time of a non-industrialized West or at the beginning of its industrialization, the West suffered from many ills similar to those that Africa suffers from today. It was not until 1948 that universal suffrage for women was introduced in Belgium. Germany experienced "Kartoffel-Urlaub" (child labor during potato harvest) until the end of the last century. It was only when industrialization in Europe reached a certain level of maturity that a counter-power characterized by a vocal middle class, strengthened by workers' unions, some priests, and visionary entrepreneurs, succeeded in claiming "the eight-hour workday," "the five-day workweek." “les congés payés“, “la prévoyance sociale“, ... "Paid holiday leave," "social security," ... Conclusion: a "social" West must promote the acceleration of modern industrialization in Africa in order to achieve the SDGs, put an end to corruption, nepotism, instability, create a general purchasing power to stimulate European exports to Africa, and prevent illegal migration. It should be noted that the handicap of land rights and administrative instability does not apply within the framework of win-win partnerships between established African and international SMEs. The African partner provides "its" infrastructure for the partnership. Even fragile countries like the DRC have significant "stable" regions characterized by SMEs with street-facing businesses.

• The modern industrialization of ten sub-Saharan countries with relatively stable institutions is benefiting all of Africa. The success of the 'ten stable' is quickly followed by their fragile neighbors.

• Les décideurs politiques et la société civile d'une dizaine de pays subsahariens dotés d'institutions assez stables (*) estiment que la transformation locale des ressources premières en produits compétitifs crée notamment plus d'emplois par an que la croissance démographique. C'est le seul moyen d’endiguer la pauvreté et de créer une classe moyenne habilitée qui supprime les inégalités de l’intérieur. Ces  ‘dix stables’ peuvent déjà compter sur de nombreux jeunes ingénieurs et économistes hautement qualifiés, sur des sites industriels accessibles, sur des sources d'énergie renouvelables localement disponibles et sur la connectivité Internet, sur des terres agricoles ‘du monde’ et sur leur propre couche supérieure financière.

  (*) The Economist Democracy Index 2023 Sub-Saharan Africa (Ranking Feb 15 2024): 1. Mauritius, 2. Botswana, 3. Cabo Verde, 4. South Africa, 5. Namibia, 6. Ghana, 7. Lesotho, 8. Malawi, 9. Zambia, 10. Liberia, 11. Senegal, 12. Tanzania, 13. Madagascar, 14. Kenya, 15. Benin, 16. Uganda, 17. Gambia, 18. Sierra Leone, 19. Nigeria, 20. Côte d’Ivoire, 21. Angola, 22. Mauritania.

• The service sector. No country in the world can survive in autarky. Their citizens wish to acquire products and services that are not manufactured or produced in the country. Only a substrate of exportable industrial products with local added value generates revenue to pay for these foreign products or services. This is why African governments urgently and as a priority request the massive transfer of know-how in industrial processes and advanced technologies to Africa. They wish to add local value to their natural resources. Only the United States succeeds in generating large masses of revenue through the export of services. What is regrettable, however, is that this revenue only benefits a small group of billionaire techno-monopolists.

PS. Le rêve ultime pour nos petits-enfants aussie bien en Europe qu'en Africa

La Communauté Afro-Européenne ‘Mandela-Schuman’ de l’Industrie Energivore.

Today, the ever-growing asymmetry of prosperity between Europe and Africa threatens the security of both continents. The energy-intensive industry is facing huge pressure toward sustainability, and it must become CO2 neutral. Africa has sixty percent of the world's solar energy production capacity and thirty-five percent of the world's green hydrogen production capacity at 2 €/kg.Pooling abundant African green and mineral resources with European expertise in energy-intensive production and zero-emission transport of key raw materials:

(1) saves 30% of CO2 emissions in Africa and Europe; (2) prevents climate disasters; (3) stops illegal immigration from Africa; (4) encourages the modernization of the European industry; (5) makes Europe energy independent; (6) guarantees peace and prosperity for grandchildren in Africa.(1) saves 30% of CO2 emissions in Africa and Europe; (2) prevents climate disasters; (3) stops illegal immigration from Africa; (4) encourages the modernization of the European industry; (5) makes Europe energy independent; (6) guarantees peace and prosperity for grandchildren in Africa and in Europe.