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As Africa experiences a paradigm shift in its global positioning, characterized by the rise of multiple regional and international actors, it becomes imperative to examine how traditional European powers, such as France and Germany, navigate this transformed landscape.
Co-hosted for the sixth time by the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri), the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), this event brings together specialists from the worlds of research, diplomacy and politics to discuss the contributions of Germany and France to a European strategy for Africa.
Panellists will address the security situation in the Sahel, the partnership between Africa and Europe on energy and climate issues, and German and French approaches to address colonial memory.
9:00-9:15 CEST | Opening Words
Alain Antil, Head of the Sub-Saharan Africa Center, French Institute of International Relations
Stephan Klingebiel, Head of Programme Inter- and Transnational Cooperation, German Institue of Sustainability and Development (IDOS)
Henrik Maihack, Head of the Africa division, Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation (FES)
9:15-10:45 CEST | Panel 1 : French and German climate policies and approaches to energy security in dialogue with African partners
Claire Hellich-Praquin, Director for European & International Affairs and cooperation - French Energy Regulator (tbc)
Pauline Larat, Vice-Director of the Energy division, French Development Agency
Annabelle Livet, Researcher, Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique
Christoph Retzlaff, Director for Sub-Saharan Africa & the Sahel at the Federal Foreign Office
Chair: Jeanette Süß, Researcher, Ifri
11:00-12:45 CEST | Panel 2 : Engagement, Disengagement or Reorientation? The Future of French and German Policies in the Sahel Region
Alain Antil, Head of the Sub-Saharan Africa Center, Ifri
Niagalé Bagayoko, Chair of the African Security Sector Network
Emmanuel Besnier, Vice-director of Directorate for Africa and the Indian Ocean, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
Birgit Pickel, Director-General for Africa in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
Nils Schmid, Member of the German Bundestag, Social Democratic Party
Chair: Henrik Maihack, Head of the Africa division, Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation (FES)
14:30-16:00 CEST | Panel 3 : Dealing with the past: German and French approaches to address colonial memory and calls for restitution
Ibou Coulibaly Diop, Researcher, Humboldt University / Senate of Berlin
Richard Legay, Senior researcher, Arnold-Bergestraesser Institute
Elise Pape, Researcher, EHESS
Chair: Benedikt Erforth, Senior Reseacher, IDOS
16:00-16:30 CEST | Closing session
The conference will take place in French and German, with simultaneous interpretation.
All times are listed in Paris time (CEST).
Speakers
Our team
Alain ANTIL
Researcher and Head of the Sub-Saharan Africa Center, Ifri
Jeanette SÜß
Research Fellow, Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa), Ifri
Find out more
A framework for a Win-Win Europe-Africa Energy and Climate Partnership
North-South tensions are exacerbated at a time of unprecedented turmoil for both Europeans and Africans. European polycrises (geopolitical, energy-related and economic) echo the systematic vulnerability of Africans, which is reinforced by external shocks.
After Mali, what Commitment from Germany in the Sahel?
Germany, despite the reluctance of its public opinion, is committed to supporting security in the Sahel, notably through its participation in the European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM) and recently in Niger, and in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
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