Moncloa Palace, Madrid
The presentation included the participation of the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, who Pedro Sánchez thanked in particular for his presence, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Arancha González Laya, the Managing Director of ELECNOR, and by video-conference, the President of the African Development Bank and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Senegal.
"This plan is the clearest example, together with the 3rd Africa Plan approved in 2019, of our ambition and our interest in turning this decade into the decade of Spain in Africa", said Pedro Sánchez, underlining the importance of pushing through a strategic partnership, as equal partners with the continent.
The President of the Government highlighted the profound changes that Africa is undergoing, which provides an unprecedented opportunity for its sustainable development - a process that Spain wishes to accompany African society in. "We want to be a strategic partner on the continent, for Spain to be closer to Africa and vice versa, so that together we can better tackle the challenges that affect us both", explained Pedro Sánchez.
With this aim in mind, the Government of Spain has drawn up the Focus on Africa 2023 programme - a pressing, immediate response that is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda and with the aims of the 2063 Agenda of the African Union. "Our aims and interests practically coincide. Accordingly, the priorities contained in the Focus on Africa are the same as the African Union has set for itself", he stressed.
Issues such as peace and security, the development of sustainable, fair and inclusive economies, support for African regional integration, the fight against climate change and the boost to the ecological transition will be at the heart of this collaboration programme. In particular, Pedro Sánchez indicated that one priority will be to boost the sustainable industrialisation of the continent with a Spanish business and investment presence, underlining our competitiveness and technology, for example, in renewable energies.
Together with its African partners, Spain also wishes to promote gender equality and the participation of women in decision-making processes in the public realm, particularly in the resolution and prevention of conflicts. Focus on Africa 2023 will also focus joint efforts on managing orderly, legal and safe migration, as well as on the mobility of African students under the European ERASMUS+ Programme. Lastly, the President of the Government stressed that the future of Europe is "inextricably" tied to Africa and he underlined Spain's role as an advocate of the European Union, highlighting our country's vocation to head up European political action towards the continent.
Non official translation
Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa