Botswana optimistic of EU-AU partnership

Brusseles, Belgium: Botswana’s participation in the Third European Union (EU)-African Union (AU) Ministerial Meeting held on Wednesday in Brussels, Belgium was a significant opportunity for the country to reaffirm its commitment to multilateral cooperation and to advance shared priorities with both African and European partners.

Permanent Representative of Botswana to the AU, Tebelelo Boang told Botswana Guardian on the sidelines of the meeting that the platform is an opportunity to find practical ways to strengthen partnerships in areas such as sustainable development, trade, climate solutions and digital transformation.

“Botswana is particularly interested in ensuring that discussions translate into tangible support for people-centered development strategies, focusing on youth empowerment, skills development and resilient infrastructure and climate solutions amongst others,” Ambassador Boang said.

He is also keen to see deeper engagement on peace and security, especially through inclusive dialogue and investment in conflict prevention, and the hope was that the meeting would solidify an enhanced partnership between the EU and AU, one based on mutual priorities and long-term collaboration.

Ambassador Boang placed much confidence in the strong EU-AU partnership, that now spans over 25 years, emphasising its roots in shared values — from multilateralism to sustainable development and peace. He believes that what makes this partnership unique, is its potential to be mutually transformative.

He further boasts that Africa brings to the table a young and dynamic population, growing markets, and a drive for innovation that can complement Europe’s technological expertise and financial resources. In return, the EU offers robust experience in governance, digital innovation, climate resilience, and capacity building all of which are critical to Africa’s development ambitions.

He said while both continents face common challenges, including geopolitical instability, climate change, migration, and economic inequality, through their respective strengths, they can cooperate to achieve sustainable development for the prosperity of their nations.

Ambassador Boang’s view is that while mutually beneficial partners, the EU offers valuable lessons for the AU, particularly in the area of regional and economic integration. He explains that the EU’s success in creating a single market depended on harmonised standards, efficient cross-border systems, and a shared vision.

“As Africa moves forward with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), these lessons are crucial.”

Further adding that the EU’s success is testimony that integration is a long-term process that requires political will, trust, coordination and shared commitment.

“These are principles that the AU should strengthen in order to succeed.”

The Ambassador, who was in the company of the Head of the Botswana Delegation, Minister of International Relations, Dr Phenyo Butale regrets that Botswana’s economy has been hit hard by among others, low diamond sales due to volatility in the global diamond markets and external trade pressures such as the recent 37 percent US tariff imposition.

He views partnerships like the EU-AU, and more specifically EU-Botswana relations even more critical. He is convinced that this is a moment to leverage the opportunity to diversify the country’s economy and deepen trade and investment ties with the EU.

“Botswana is keen to leverage the EU’s support for value chain development, especially in areas like green energy, digital transformation, infrastructure development, skills enhancement, focusing on Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) to empower the youth.”

Botswana's exports to the EU EPA countries comprise of diamonds at over P73 billion, meat – fresh or chilled at over P314 million, machines including hoisting, construction and earth moving at over P25 million, catalytic converters for vehicles and filtering apparatus used in motor vehicle air-conditioning at over P24 million, as well as surveying, including photo-

grammetrical surveying, hydrographic, oceanographic, hydrological and meteorological at over P18 million, among other exports.

Further statistics indicate that Botswana has been exporting to the EU more than it imports from the EU since 2019, with trade balances of over P9 billion in 2023, more than P11 billion in 2022, over P3 billion in 2021, more than P2 billion in 2020 and over P5 billion in 2019, in favour of Botswana.

On the broader scale, Botswana was part of the larger AU bloc that met with their European counterparts ahead of the Seventh AU-EU Summit scheduled to take place in Africa before the end of this year. The meeting was co-chaired by Her Excellency, Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, and His Excellency Téte António, Minister of External Relations of the Republic of Angola and Chairperson of the African Union Executive Council.

AfCFTA

At the Meeting, the Ministers welcomed progress in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the support provided by The Team Europe Initiative on economic integration. Ministers further underscored the strengthening of economic integration and sustainable development of regional value chains and fostering trade in higher

value-added goods and services, which are key for the prosperity of both continents.

Both parties strongly believed that this dynamic would support job creation, particularly for women and young people, improve the business environment and investment climate and strengthen inclusive growth and sustainable development to ensure long-term stability and shared benefits.

The AfCFTA represents an important opportunity to increase and diversify trade and investment across the African continent, particularly in strategic sectors.

Ministers further committed to continue advancing greater economic integration, and supporting the effective and inclusive implementation of the AfCFTA, that will foster greater

economic exchange between the two continents.

Collectively, Ministers further pledged to use all avenues possible to strengthen and diversify their economic and trade relations, in order to boost resilient and sustainable value chains, and to stimulate regional integration, with the aim of achieving sustainable growth and the creation of decent jobs, as well as promoting fair, competitive and resilient economies.

The existing trade arrangements between the EU and African countries, including the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) can contribute to strengthening and deepening of trade and economic development between the two continents. The EU and AU countries will continue to build on these arrangements to further increase trade and investment relations. Ministers noted international initiatives on investment facilitation, including the proposed WTO Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement.