Event Background

The Africa-EU Joint Strategy and Action Plan (JSAP) was adopted at the EU-AU Summit held in Lisbon on December 2007. It is a political vision and roadmap for the cooperation between the two continents in existing and new areas, going beyond the traditional donor-recipient approach, and beyond institutions by involving non-State players, and addressing global challenges such as peace and security, climate change, migration, trade and regional integration. Concrete actions and goals for the years 2008-2010 are outlined in eight Africa-EU Partnerships in the so-called First Action Plan.

Africa is the continent where the scientific and digital divides are the widest. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) identify the essential role of Science & Technology (S&T) for socio-economic transformation. Investments in African scientific capacities have not been prioritised and the continent is loosing some of its best scientific and technical expertise to other regions. It is in this context, that the Africa Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action (S&T CPA) was developed, consolidating the African Union Commission (AUC) and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) programmes related to S&T capacity building, knowledge production and technological innovation.

The MDGs also identify Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as key enablers for poverty reduction and growth. Although ICT are multi-sectoral tools for socio-economic development, a dedicated coherent strategy needs to be implemented in order to develop an inclusive information society in Africa. It is on these principles, and in the context of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), that the African Regional Action Plan on the Knowledge Economy (ARAPKE), an African Union (AU) initiative, was developed.

In this context the “Africa-EU Partnership for Science, Information Society and Space” (8th Partnership) adopted in Lisbon by all EU and AU Heads of States and Governments in the framework of the Africa-EU JSAP specifically aims at:

Supporting the development of an inclusive information society in Africa
Supporting S&T capacity building in Africa and implementing Africa’s S&T Consolidated Plan of Action
Enhancing cooperation on space applications and technology

FP7 and ICT - The Africa Science and Technology CPA formulated by the NEPAD and the African Union, the creation of the African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology (AMCOST), and the African Regional Action Plan on the Knowledge Economy (ARAPKE), are some of recent examples of Africa’s determination to rely on S&T and ICT to achieve its growth and development objectives.

Meanwhile, in their determination to ensure Europe’s global leadership in ICTs and in line with their i2010 initiative, the EU Member States have earmarked a total of €9.1 billion for funding ICT research over the duration of FP7, a research programme including an important international dimension, being open to the participation of sub-Saharan African organisations. In this context, a strengthened S&T cooperation between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa on ICT is of mutual strategic interest to the European and African research organisations and industries, and can efficiently contribute to implementing the new Africa-EU JSAP.