On 07 May 2026, the Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD, Dr Vasu Gounden, participated in the 2026 Africa–Europe Forum, convened by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) in Luanda, Angola.
At a moment of heightened geopolitical turmoil and growing economic, climate, and security pressures, Africa–Europe relations are undergoing an important recalibration. The 2025 AU–EU Summit in Luanda underscored both the strategic interdependence of the two continents, the importance of multilateralism, and the persistent gap between ambition and delivery.
The Forum brought together senior European and African policymakers, diplomats, experts, civil society leaders, and industry representatives, along with representatives from other key actors, including the United States and the Arab Gulf states. It provided an opportunity for a frank, policy-focused exchange on the future direction of Europe–Africa relations, with discussions centring on core areas of cooperation and contention, including energy transitions, critical minerals, rethinking international development, and evolving regional and international security dynamics.
Dr Gounden served as a panelist in the final session, titled “Way forward: Global powers and African priorities.” The session explored how African governments are navigating diverse dynamics to diversify partnerships, attract investment, and expand their positions in an increasingly fragmented global order, while assessing Europe’s role as a partner, competitor, and stakeholder.
The Forum reflected the region’s growing convening role in Africa–Europe relations and offered a platform to bring together diverse perspectives from across Southern and Central Africa and Europe.
In March 2026, ACCORD hosted a Closed High-Level Dialogue of African Leaders and an Africa–Europe Strategic Dialogue titled Africa at a Strategic Inflection Point: Agency, Alignment and Resilience in a Fragmenting World, an engagement that reinforced ACCORD’s commitment to facilitating meaningful dialogue at the intersection of African priorities and global power dynamics.
Tags: International Relations, multilateralism, Africa – Europe
Theme: Leadership
Photo credit: ACCORD
