Moroccan King Mohammed VI said that guaranteeing education and promoting culture are among key components of the partnership between the African Union and the European Union.
Others include accelerating the pace of vocational training, employing the youth and putting migration and mobility in order.
The common denominator between them all is the youths, in whom the two continents should invest to ensure they reach their maximum potentials.
His remarks were made in a speech read out by Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita at the sixth EU-AU Summit, held on Feb. 17-18 in Brussels.
“These future-oriented objectives should inspire and inform our approach to the AU-EU partnership,” he stressed.
King Mohammed asserted that neither Africa nor Europe could achieve these goals on their own, noting that they share a common responsibility in this regard.
He said 94% of the world students could not have access to education during the pandemic due to school closures.
“We need to ensure the continuity of education, taking into account the new context of digital transformation in the education sector.”
This requirement is particularly crucial in Africa, he stressed, noting that 50% of its population is under the age of 20.
“Our schools, universities, and vocational training institutions need, just like our respective economies, a robust recovery to make up for the 1.8 trillion hours of no schooling,” Bourita read.
King Mohammed further pointed out that the pandemic has not spared the culture either, economically and access wise.
He underlined the importance of re-establishing cultural cooperation mechanisms to revive the sector, which is considered vital for bringing people together in Africa, Europe and between the two continents.
Commenting on the migration issue, the King said that the pandemic has shown that in terms of mobility, migrants do not have a harmful effect on the economy.
“On the contrary, they have a positive impact in their host country - where they are often essential workers - as well as in their country of origin.”
He called for approaching this issue not as a challenge but rather a major source of opportunities.
