AU-EU 25-year partnership strengthened by €20m capacity building initiative
The African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) have further deepened their 25-year-old partnership with the recent signing of the €20 million EU-African Union Partnership Performance Acceleration Programme (AUPPAP).
This agreement, marking the 25th anniversary of AU-EU relations, aims to accelerate integrated development and strengthen institutional capacities across Africa, aligning with the AU’s Agenda 2063 and the Joint Vision for 2030. The AUPPAP focuses on fostering economic growth, digital connectivity, energy, and sustainable development. Over the next two years, the program is designed to drive key initiatives that support Africa’s socio-economic transformation, enhance institutional effectiveness, and address shared challenges. This includes initiatives in digital, energy, and economic sectors, complementing the EU’s Global Gateway Investment Package for Africa. At the signing ceremony, AU Commission director-general Fathallah Sijilmassi emphasized that the initiative will bolster African integration and sustainable development, directly benefiting AU institutions, member states, and African citizens.
It comes as the AU and EU have launched a year-long celebration marking the 25th anniversary of their enduring and unique partnership, since the first Africa-Europe Summit in April 2000 in Cairo. This milestone, aligned with the Africa Agenda 2063 and the Global Gateway Investment Package, underscores the powerful impact of two unions representing almost 2 billion people and accounting for more than 40% of the UN’s membership. The key pillars of the AU-EU partnership are centered on the following themes: a prosperous and sustainable Africa and Europe; peace, security and governance: partnering for stability; investing in human development; and a global force for multilateralism and sustainability. Leading up to the Ministerial Meeting in Brussels in May 2025, a series of initiatives will highlight the partnership’s progress, fostering dialogue on shared challenges. The 7th AU-EU Summit will be held in Africa later this year.