African Union

The 7th African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) summit in Luanda, Angola, signaled support for Africa’s development in the coming years. Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço hosted the summit on 24-25 November 2025. The unique discussions between African and European leaders and the various partnering organizations underlined invaluable guarantees to undertake opportunities for strengthening long-term economic, cultural, and political ties in the continent.

Chairperson of the AU Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, at the 7th AU-EU summit in Luanda, underscored that Africa brings not only vast resources to this partnership but also demographic dynamism, technological ambition, and a vibrant generation of innovators. Europe can contribute capital, technology, and institutional cooperation. By aligning these strengths around shared priorities that include digital transformation and youth empowerment, both continents can shape a more prosperous future.

According to Mahmoud Youssouf, Africa is emerging as a global growth powerhouse and therefore calls for balanced trade partnerships and stronger multilateralism with members of the European Union.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who chaired the G20 Leaders’ Summit, the first to be convened on African soil since the African Union became a permanent member of the G20, highlighted economic growth and job creation while stressing the importance of stronger economic ties and regional integration with European partners.

In their speeches at the Summit, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council António Costa shared the development visions for the African continent and the financial mechanisms reaffirming commitment to the Joint Vision for 2030 and the AU’s Agenda 2063. These are implemented under the framework of the EU’s Global Gateway.

Shaping the future for Africa and Europe

The AU and EU adopted a joint declaration that reinforces cooperation in significant thematic areas, including peace, security, sustainable development, and regional integration. It also outlines an institutional structure and funding mechanisms for key actionable areas within a long-term framework for cooperation.

In the adopted document, the EU reassured its support for Africa’s development priorities, determined to advance partnership and to unlock new opportunities, and looked forward to an ambitious post-Agenda 2030 framework.

Leveraging public and private funds to stimulate investments and improving investment and business climate across the continents remain key and reaffirm commitment to ensuring the transformative impact of these investments. It identified financial institutions, in particular the European Investment Bank (EIB), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and public development banks, agencies, and similar bodies for providing finance.

The EU guarantees to continue supporting African countries to develop, industrialize, diversify exports, and integrate into regional markets. It will also accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

In terms of investing in education, research, science, technology, and skills development as a basis for driving scientific discoveries and innovative solutions, the EU acknowledged the importance of the youth as drivers for sustainable development and committed to supporting their empowerment and active participation. Therefore, the EU promised partnerships between universities and research organizations to foster mutual understanding and excellence.

Cooperation on Peace, Security, and Governance

There has been long-standing AU-EU cooperation on peace, security, and governance, including conflict prevention, peace mediation, and stabilization, premised on African-led solutions. Both the AU and EU agreed on a commitment to further strengthening dialogue and cooperation, including through the annual consultations between the AU Peace and Security Council and EU Political and Security Committee as well as the annual AU-EU Human Rights Dialogue.

Acting under a UN mandate, the EU pledged sustainable financing for AU-led Peace Support Operations. The document recognizes the African Union Peace and Security Council’s and the European Union Political and Security Committee’s contribution to the maintenance of peace, security, and stability in both continents and in promoting effective governance, and we welcome the AU’s efforts to silence the guns in Africa in line with Aspiration 4 of the AU Agenda 2063.

Stronger Commitment to Multilateralism

Both the AU and EU agreed to work towards more converging positions in multilateral fora to ensure an effective multilateral system with the UN at its core, based on international law and true to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

The Summit welcomed the contributions from the meetings of the European Parliament and the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand, South Africa. It encourages continued engagement of all relevant stakeholders in advancing the partnership. It finally registered joint commitment to international order based on international law and effective multilateralism grounded in international law, including the Charter of the United Nations.

The African Union and the European Union expressed profound gratitude to the President of the Republic of Angola, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, and to the Angolan Government and people for the warm reception, hospitality, and excellent organization of the 7th AU-EU Summit.

During its 3rd grandiose summit in Luanda that brought together a distinguished panel of leaders, including the ministers of transport from Zimbabwe and Rwanda, the secretary-general of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), the director of strategies at Morocco’s Ministry of Transport and Logistics, the CEOs of Ethiopian Airlines and TAAG Angola Airlines, as well as representatives from the World Bank Group and the European Commission (EC), the African Union finally earmarked $30 billion for aviation infrastructure.

In his opening address, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola and Chairperson of the African Union (AU), stressed that Africa must invest between $130 billion and $170 billion annually to lay the foundation for sustainable growth. “We must move from words to action,” President Lourenço urged. “This summit represents a decisive step toward mobilizing the resources needed to enhance connectivity and integration across our continent.”

The ambitious investment plan strategically aims at modernizing the continent’s aviation infrastructure under the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), according to summit reports. Lerato D. Mataboge, African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, during the high-level session on Financing and Modernizing African Civil Aviation Infrastructure to Promote Integrated Continental Airspace and Enable Free Movement Under SAATM, emphasized aviation’s pivotal role as both an engine of integration and a cornerstone of Africa’s economic transformation.

“Aviation is not merely a mode of transport,” Mataboge stated, speaking at the session. “It is a strategic engine of continental integration and a core enabler of Agenda 2063 and the AfCFTA. The Single African Air Transport Market will only succeed if we build the modern, safe, and efficient infrastructure that Africa’s growth demands.”

Citing findings from a Continental Aviation Infrastructure Gap Analysis conducted with AFCAC, ICAO, and the World Bank, Mataboge revealed that Africa needs between $25 and $30 billion over the next decade to close critical aviation infrastructure gaps. Passenger traffic is projected to triple from 160 million in 2024 to nearly 500 million by 2050, intensifying the urgency for investment.

Key funding requirements include US$10 billion for airport and aerodrome infrastructure and $8 billion for modernizing communication, navigation, and meteorological systems. The AU’s strategy aims to mobilize $10 billion in catalytic public finance to attract an additional $20 billion in private and institutional investment. Through partnerships with Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and AUDA-NEPAD, the AU is aligning investment priorities with SAATM and the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).

The modernization plan integrates cutting-edge technologies such as Airport Collaborative Decision-Making (A-CDM) and System-Wide Information Management (SWIM) to enable seamless continental airspace. It also incorporates renewable energy solutions at airports to attract green financing and advance sustainability goals.

“As we modernize African skies, we are doing so sustainably,” Mataboge added. “Every project we prepare is designed to meet global green standards, reduce fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions, and make African aviation an attractive asset class for the world’s growing pool of climate-focused capital.”

Mataboge reaffirmed the AU’s commitment to ensuring that a modern, efficient, and sustainable aviation network drives Africa’s economic integration, connectivity, and global competitiveness. The AU’s officials reaffirmed their focus on Africa’s most strategic priorities, including building aviation infrastructure, digital data systems, and data interoperability. The discussion underscored the importance of collaborative efforts in building a better aviation sector across Africa.

Deals and Dollars: Concrete Commitments 

The summit moved beyond dialogue to secure tangible commitments, marked by the signing of three key Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs):

– A partnership between the African Social Security Association and AUDA-NEPAD to channel African pension funds into continental infrastructure.

– An MOU with Qatar Airways establishing a $500 million endowment for renewable energy and climate-aligned industrialization.

– The establishment of the Angola Export and Trade Facility to promote regional cooperation and trade.

Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, CEO of AUDA-NEPAD, reported significant progress since the previous summit in Dakar, Senegal. She announced that the AU, alongside African financial institutions, has already raised $1.5 billion to execute high-impact cross-border projects.

“The lesson from Dakar is clear: we can no longer treat financing as a fragmented market of scattered deals. We must transform it into a unified strategy,” Bekele-Thomas stated. She detailed new financial instruments, including the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa’s Project Development Fund, which has achieved a first close of $118 million and is managed by Africa50.

In his contribution, African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf emphasized that Africa is entering a new phase of self-determination, one in which the continent must take ownership of financing, planning, and implementing its own development. He underscored that infrastructure investment is not merely technical but deeply political and strategic, vital to Africa’s economic sovereignty, competitiveness, and unity. Highlighting progress made under the PIDA framework, he called for an African-driven ecosystem for development financing through domestic resource mobilization, stronger private sector participation, and greater access to climate funds.

Echoing the urgency of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, framed infrastructure investment as a deeply political and strategic imperative for Africa’s economic sovereignty. “We are shifting from a logic of assistance to a logic of alliance, where partners align their engagement with priorities defined by Africa itself,” he declared. He concluded with a powerful vision: “What we are building here are not merely roads and bridges. We are building an Africa that is connected, confident, and sovereign.”

There were special sessions designed to facilitate in-depth due diligence and accelerate projects toward financial close. The summit for Africa’s infrastructure development stands as a definitive moment, signaling Africa’s unified resolve to finance its own destiny and build the interconnected, prosperous future its people deserve.