2043: prevent a third of the world's youth, 14km from Europe, from being unemployed

Urge a club of 20 African ambassadors in Brussels to hit the EU table

A reset of official development assistance (ODA)

Africa wants "factories". Ten million "formal" jobs a year is what concerns Africa

36 "noble" European development cooperation programmes, well-intentioned but not necessarily requested by Africa, divert attention from what really matters, the local processing of African raw materials into competitive products, in the climate-friendly short value chain. Africa’s advanced industrialisation will create millions of formal jobs and prevent forced migration. To encourage European manufacturers to massively seek partnerships in Africa, no additional taxpayers' money is needed. Western politicians, by changing the mindset of their citizens and entrepreneurs, will eliminate the preconceived and deeply ingrained belief that Africa is not ready for modern manufacturing.

Africa can choose between East, West and the Global South

Africa is not what you think it is

A plea to urge a club of 20 African ambassadors in Brussels to bang their fists on the table of the European Union and with the highest priority

To make Europe aware that the asymmetry in prosperity between neighbours Africa and Europe is the real driver of African young people seeking more perspective; that limiting the influx of migrants into Europe through 'fences & pushbacks' or 'eradicating people smugglers' does not remove the root cause of inequality;
To make Europe aware that a vocal, educated African youth has had it with a hypocritical Europe that condescendingly lectures it on human rights and democracy but at the same time continues to grab African natural resources - now also green hydrogen - with 'market-based' Leonine clauses in order to add value and jobs in Europe; prevents Africa from internalising the practice of advanced labour-intensive industrialisation, the creation of 10 million decent jobs a year and thus preventing poverty and forced migration;
To make Europe aware that currently Africa can choose between partnerships with East, West or the Global South (BRICs, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, ...); that currently China is in the top drawer and that African youth, for lack of perspective, are brimming with anti-Western resentments;
To encourage all European ODA’s and politicians to stop moralising narratives on SDGs, democracy, solidarity, human rights, child labour, gender equality, D4D, capacity building of nano, micro and women's enterprises in business incubators, protection of small farmers, fair trade, micro-credits, etc (yes, even scholarships); all these are just symptoms of an underlying lack of inclusive economic growth and the creation of millions of formal jobs;

5. To remind Europe that, despite the multiplicity of 'noble' programmes and associated billions of euros of the last two decades, mentioned in point 4, the asymmetry of prosperity between Africa and Europe has further increased; (prominent African academics dismiss The EU-Global Gateway as “a complete joke“ – min 37:10);

6. To emphasise that all these programmes divert attention from what really matters, namely boosting Africa's manufacturing industrialisation; massively – and without delay – give Africa the opportunity to acquire the skills needed to operate in modern and ultra-complex international industrial value chains; Africa still manufactures virtually nothing; factories, modern workshops and associated services, that's what Africa wants;

7. To point out that by 2050 “old” Europe will have only 7% of the world's population, Africa 25% (33% world's youth); that as early as 2035, Africa can bow to as many higher educated people, in their prime of life, as China; on 60% of the world's agricultural area; on 60+% of all solar energy, on 35% of global green hydrogen production capacity (Europe 1%); on masses of climate-strategic resources, on the AfCTA largest free trade market in the world;

8. To let Europe know that, in order to maintain or revitalise its privileged relationship with Africa, also geopolitically, it is to Europe’s advantage to share its practise of international industrial value chains with Africa;

9. To encourage experienced and successful "for-profit" manufacturing companies from all European countries to massively enter into partnerships for mutual benefit with African peers, SMEs and large companies, and inform them that, if desired, profits made in Africa can be repatriated (!).

EU governments only need to advertise the “other” Africa, nothing more!

No extra taxpayers' money is needed to motivate European entrepreneurs to en masse seek partnerships in Africa. Western politicians urgently need to create support among the general public who must realise that Europe needs Africa more than vice versa. They must put an end to the broad, biased, deeply ingrained, mistaken belief that the whole of Africa is not ready for modern manufacturing industrialisation. On the contrary: “The modern industrialisation of Africa saves the entire planet”.